


Apartment 311

by TheShisha



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, But Probably Not That Slow, Disabled Reader, F/F, F/M, Fell!Sans listens to you sing in the shower, Fluff, Grillby has his eye on the Reader, Have I mentioned fluff?, Jealous Sans, Monster/Human Relationship, Past Abuse, READER HAS A DOG, Racism, Reader Is In College, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader is weak, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Smol Reader, Somewhat Tol Sans, Things are gonna get dark I think, a possessive one too, and must be protected, both you and sans are cute dorks, idk how to tag, it's a good story I swear, lots and lots of fluff, past manipulative relationship, protective friends, reader blushes a lot, reader is female, sorta like a creep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-27 03:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9949247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShisha/pseuds/TheShisha
Summary: Underfell Sans x Disabled ReaderYou sing in the shower. Everyday. Your mysterious neighbor might have found it annoying if the sound of your voice hadn't become a safe haven.The world around you was changing everyday. Monsters had arrived on the surface almost a year and a half ago, but you still had yet to actually meet one. They didn't make a habit out of approaching humans, and whenever you had gotten anywhere near one, someone always pulled you away, thinking that because of your handicap, thinking monsters would go to attack you: an easy target.You weren't a little girl anymore, and were pretty self reliant, even with your disability. No help needed. At east that's what you told yourself.When you met your first monster, things didn't quite go as you'd envisioned them, no pun intended.Inspired in part by "The Skeleton Games" written by the amazing poetax.





	1. Morning Routines

She was singing in the shower again, the sound of her voice and the water hitting her shoulders bleeding through the wall next to him.  Sans probably shouldn’t listen in, but what could stop him from doing so? The walls in his apartment were practically paper thin, and she always showered in the mornings before he left for work, and sometimes in the evenings. And she _always_ sang.

In fact, when he first moved in the shabby little apartment building, he’d been about to teleport out when the first notes had reached his non-existent ears. He’d stopped to listen and was hooked ever since. It became part of his routine. Wake up, throw on whatever clothes he found on the floor, drink some mustard with his cereal, and then sit and listen, skull resting against the wall where his living room met her bathroom.

She was a little off key today, not that it mattered much. The sound of her voice was his, and his alone, something that meant so much to a skeleton that owned next to nothing: his apartment was practically bare, the only things filling the space were the furniture that came with the apartment and his own sorry bones.

“I’m like a child looking off in the horizon, I’m like an ambulance that’s turning on the sirens, o-o-oh, I’m still alive. I’m like a soldier coming home for the first time; I dodged a bullet and I walked across a landmine, o-o-oh, I’m still alive.”

Even after Monsterkind had left the underground and become citizens, Sans had never really felt welcomed by the human populace, not that he could blame them. He _relish_ ed the fact that he was still an intimidating figure, but… because of this, he never _mustard_ up enough courage to actually meet his human neighbors, choosing instead to let his key become lost in his thick jacket’s pockets, using his shortcuts to get in and out of his apartment.

“Am I bleeding? Am I bleeding from the storm? Just shine a light into the wreckage, So far away, away~”

In here, he could relax, drop the ever present scowl and even sometimes smile when his neighbor dropped something in the shower and her pretty voice dissolved into angry swearing or inconsolable giggling.

Sans listened to her sing a little bit of everything until the water stopped and the rattle of the curtain being drawn back prompted him to open his eyes and –reluctantly—get on with his day.

He was late of course, but Boss accepted his lame excuse eventually, after a lengthy tongue lashing of course. Sans had stopped caring about being late and riling up Papyrus a few months back. The taller skeleton of course noticed, but as Sans went about as usual, said nothing and chalked up his brother’s new behavior to finally, _finally_ , being on the surface.

As long as nothing stopped him from listening to her shower sessions, Sans was almost content.

~

                You were in Graduate school, and had moved off campus two years ago into a tiny (and cheap!) apartment just big enough for you and your dog, a golden retriever-Labrador mix named Sunflower. You were studying to become a teacher, and all your classes were in the evenings, and your work didn’t start until 11, so  you had enough time each morning to take a nice long shower (which was usually hot, but sometimes that jerk on the floor above you, who you swore got up at 3 each morning to take a loud and splashy bath just to spite you).

You still sang in the shower, even though your neighbors down the hall promised that the walls were thin as heck and you could hear everything; because you lived at the end of the hall, and you knew your voice wasn’t bad, your one, still to be seen neighbor(s?) had yet to complain. Maybe they were really heavy sleepers or they got up and left quietly super early.

                Either way, singing your heart out helped the mornings to go by a little easier.  

                Then it was off to the middle school where you worked as an assistant teacher. You gathered up your books and made sure your backpack and lunch were ready to go. Stopping by the front door, you whistled, and Sunflower was by your side in a heartbeat, nuzzling your leg with his cold nose. You chuckled and scratched behind his ear before slipping on his halter and letting him lead you out of your apartment.

                With the door locked, you and Sunflower skipped the elevator, the faithful canine leading down the steps without incident, just like the day before, and every day before that. When you made it outside, you shivered at the cold air that broke on your cheeks. You wondered if it was cloudy.

                Sunflower barked happily and tugged you gently down the street, the routine and routes burned into his mind just as much as they were into yours, no need to tell him where to go.

                You could hear people walking past and around you, chatting, listening to tinny music you could barely make out through headphones, and avoiding you. Once they saw Sunflower in his guide dog harness leading you, they tended to steer clear.

Something about your blankly staring eyes made people uncomfortable. Usually you wore sunglasses, to conceal your vacant gaze, but your last pair had been forgotten in a metro bathroom.

That was the other thing making your life complicated, as if college and a full time job weren’t enough for a 22 year old to deal with.

You were completely blind.


	2. Working 9 to 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) "Watches" the kids at school, while Sans can't believe time is c r a w l i n g s o s l o w. Also, What's up with Frisk's new plan?

Sunflower’s head lifted from your knees, and you could picture his ears perking up as a chair quietly scraped the floor somewhere ahead of you. The papers in your hand rustled as you set them on the teacher’s desk.

“Jason,” You chided, the quiet whispers and giggling from the class hushing almost unnaturally. “You better not be getting out of your chair again.”

“No Ma’am!” There was a flurry of activity as the boy rushed to his seat.

One of the girls, Kenzie, if memory served, hissed in wonder to her neighbor, Sophia. “How does she do that?!”

Sophia giggled, “I don’t know! It’s like she’s a witch!”

You sighed, an amused smile tugging at your mouth. “I’m blind, not deaf you little munchkins. ‘N that means I can hear better that you guys.”

“Why?” That was Drew, a bookworm. You imagined her peering up over a dictionary through thick-rimmed glasses.

You shrugged, carding a hand through Sunflower’s long fur. “Maybe I’ll tell you….” You imagined the crowd of 6th graders leaning forwards, looks of awe on their faces. “When everybody turns in their essays!” The groan of disappointment that followed your evil grin told you that your prediction had been correct.

You chuckled and sat back, Sunflower resting his heavy head once again on your knees. The kids trickled to the front, handing you their papers, you thanking them in return.

To your right, the classroom door creaked open, soft steps padding in. Mrs. Sorgwe was back. “Ah, Ms. (L/N),” Her soft voice gave you the impression of a kindly and dimpled face, “Thanks so much for watching the kids while I took Jim to the nurse.”

You smiled at the irony in her statement, turning to face in her general direction. “No problem, they’re good kids.” You tilted your head, concerned. “Is Jim gonna be okay?”

“He’ll be okay with some bedrest.” You rose from the chair as Mrs. Sorgwe’s voice hesitated by your ear.

“That’s good to hear.” You reached for Sunflower’s halter and made to walk back to your desk at the back, near the computers.

“Oh, Ms. (L/N)?” You paused, swiveling back to the front. “Could you please go and pick up the video tapes on Human Geography from the teacher’s lounge? I forgot them in there this morning.”

The kids ‘Oooh’-ed and cheered. They always loved “movie-days” even if they still had to take notes.

Nodding, you urged Sunflower forwards. “Yeah, sure.” He gladly pranced to the door, halted, and bumped you gently: the signal for you to open it. You walked out into the hallway as Mrs. Sorgwe began passing out the handouts.

The click of your dog’s nails and your own footsteps were the only sounds that filled the hall.

Another left, and just about…. Here, on your left again, the handle of the door to the teacher’s lounge was cool against your palm. It swung open without resistance, letting Sunflower lead you in like he owned the place.

“—at’s not even the worst part Maria! That little fr—” The man, you remembered his voice from somewhere around the school cut off as he noticed your presence.

You sent a vacant gaze in his direction. “Hi, sorry to interrupt, I’ll be out of your hair in a minute. Have you by any chance seen any Human Geo DVDs around here? Mrs. Sorgwe said she left them in here.”

“Oh, they’re right here,” A female voice, whoever the male teacher had been conversing with, answered you. Whatever they were seated on shifted. “Here you go sweetie.”

You blinked. “Umm.” Was she holding them out? Should you make a grab for them? You raised a tentative hand, shuffling forwards. Your heart beat faster. Was she taunting your blindness?

The male teacher sighed. “Just take them already, Jesus Christ!”

You flinched, feeling stung. Your hands began to shake. Sensing your discomfort, Sunflower whined and pressed himself comfortingly into your leg. “I… I-uh….”

“Jackson!” That was the woman, hissing, the click of high-heels found their way into your ears. You felt the plastic cases, cool and hard, being pressed into your hand. Gratefully you clamped down on the DVDs, just as she exclaimed “This is that blind TA! You can’t expect her to live up to your normal expectations!” Another pang in your chest. Another reminder of your abnormality. “I’m so sorry sweetie, I didn’t realize who you were.”

The kindness hurt almost as much as the man’s harsh words. You nodded once, curt, sharp, before muttering an apathetic explanation that you were used to it and its okay and blah-blah-blah, thanks for the videos, before you rushed back into the hall, barely letting Sunflower through the door before you squeezed out yourself.

You breathed deeply as you headed back to the classroom. It had been weeks since you had let anybody get to you about your blindness. The awe and the discomfort of the kids was tolerable, because they were _kids_. They weren’t used to people being not _normal,_ and they didn’t know any better _._ Adults were worse. They were either sickeningly sweet & overbearing, not wanting to upset the special snowflake, or they were rude, outright disgusted, and blamed you for not being normal. Not like you had a choice in the matter!

Your heart and lungs had resumed their regular rhythms by the time you had made it back to Mrs. Sorgwe’s class. You could only hope that your face wasn’t red as you handed the cases to the kindly teacher, who said nothing but a simple thank you.

~

It was only 1:44. Sans wanted to slam his head on the desk of the monster ambassador, but that just wouldn’t be professional. Plus Paps would probably kill him.

1:45 now. Which meant that he still had 2 hours and 15 minutes till Frisk would go to their private tutoring session. Being the ambassador for an entire species didn’t really leave much time for normal kid stuff. Like school and….. Whatever the hell it was exactly that kids did in their free time these days.

2 hours 15 minutes until he could go to Grillby’s. Then maybe he’d go home and take a nap. Or maybe go scare the crap out of some degenerates. He’d heard a couple of punks kept vandalizing the new storefront of Muffet’s Bakery. He may not have liked the crazy spider bitch but those humans were crossing the line, big time. Oh, how he hoped he could give them a **G R E A T  T I M E**.

Sans was pulled out of his daydreaming with a jolt when he caught the tail end of Frisk’s last proposal.

“Wait, wait. So let me get this straight, kid,” Sans drawled, watching the kid through tired slits. “You wanna desegregate Human and Monster schools?”

Frisk nodded, determination clearly seen in the firm set of their jaw. “Mmhmm!” Even excited, their voice was still soft as ever. “There was a huge movement like 60 years ago with the same thing, just with humans with different skin colors.”

Sans sank deeper into his chair (if that was even possible) let out a sound that was halfway between a chortle and a sigh. “Man you humans sure are messed up. Skin color? The Fu—”

“SANS, DON’T YOU DARE USE THAT FILTHY LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF THE HUMAN!!” Papyrus glowered at his brother from his chair on Frisk’s other side. “HOW MANY TIME DO I HAVE TO REMIND YOU?! THEY ARE THE AMBASSADOR NOW AND IT IS IMPERITIVE THAT THEY BE TREATED WITH RESPECT!”

Sans grimaced, light glinting off his gold fang. “Right sorry boss…. Ahem, I mean… the heck was that about?”

The kid shrugged, resting their elbows on the table. “How should _I_ know? I’m 7.”

“Heh. Good point.”

~

"Heya Grilbz,” Sans slid onto his stool at the bar, “I’ll have my usual.”

Grillby didn’t even look up from where he was polishing a glass.  

Sans scowled. “Aw come on Grilbz, I’ve got cash this time!” He slammed a hand full of crumpled bills on the countertop. Interest piqued, the purple bartender set the glass down and reached underneath the bar.

“Heh,” Sans grinned as the bottle of mustard was plopped down in front of him. “Knew you couldn’t give me the cold shoulder for long.”

"Just because you’re a paying customer, doesn’t mean I have to suffer through your terrible jokes Sans.” There was a half-smile on the flame monster’s face, despite the harsh words.

Grillby leaned on the bar, putting his weight on his elbows. Sans nearly choked on the condiment of the gods as the bartender asked, “So, how’s the love life?”

"PPPHHHHFF—What the fuck!?” Sans gaped, eyelights tiny pricks in his dark sockets. “Why the hell would you ask something like that?”  He groaned, pressing a boney hand to his skull. “I don’t even have a **_love_** life!” He spat the word out like it burned his mouth.

Grillby shrugged, suggestive smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “Don’t know, just been a while since you came in, thought maybe you had someone better to do. They’d have to be really something to keep you outta this place though.”

Sans’ eyes flickered away briefly, as he all but shrieked indignantly. “Tha Hell? NO!” his cheekbones flushed red. “I’ve just been helping the kid with some diplomacy stuff, ya know? All that damn paperwork tires me out!”

Ever observant, the hot bartender’s smirk widened.

Instantly on guard, Sans growled. “What the hell are ya smilin’ about? Huh!?”

"Oh-ho~” Grillby purred. “So there _is_ someone…. She gotta good rack?”

Oh, Asgore, Sans was completely red, though he couldn’t tell if that was the mortification or the ever rising urge to kill. “Wha-I-I-You!! I don’t- ah- fucking hell—what is- no, no-”

“Aw, if it’s a guy I won’t judge,” He sent the skeleton a wink.

“Gah!!” Sans snatched up his mustard and teleported out, leaving Grillby smirking at empty air.

The flame monster grinned wickedly and stood up straight, gabbing the cash from where Sans had left it. “At least he paid this time…. Hmmm,” The grin grew more sinful as another thought struck him. “Wonder if Sans’ll share~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Please let me know if anything was off with any character portrayals were off and I'll do my best to fix it.  
> It will either be next chapter or the one after that in which (Y/N) and Sans officially meet.  
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Girl's Night Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your friends invite you to a new club in town. The party is great, if only you could see it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, no guys, as a response to many comments from last time, Grillby is not quite hot enough to catch (Y/N)'s attention, and nor will Sans EVER share his precious human.

“Heeeeey Girl~” Your friend Carmen screeched in your ear through your phone’s speakers.

You winced. “Carmen, volume. Please.”

“Haha, oh right sorry.” Giggling, she didn’t sound very sorry. “Anyways, you should totally come out with us tonight! Bea and I found this great new club, and the music is amazing~! It’s right up your alley!”

You blinked. It had been a while since you had hung out with your friends, and you did need to get out of the apartment every once in a while. “Uh, maybe. Sunflower can’t stand blasting music, and you know how I hate to leave him at home.” Across your living room, you could hear the jingle of your dog’s tags as his ears perked up.

“C’mon chica! I’m sure he’ll be fine for a few hours, it’s Saturday night, ya gotta live a little!”

You stretched, weighing the options. “I don’t know…”

“Pleeeease? You never hang out with us anymore!” You could tell she was pouting through the phone. 

Aw, you couldn’t say no to that. “Okay, okay, I’ll come with. What time are you picking me up?”

On the other side of the line, you could hear Carmen yelling at her girlfriend. “6:30. Bea says we should be at the club by 7, ‘cause the doors open at 7:30, and we wanna get in for sure.”

Frowning, you ran a finger over the braille protruding from your watch. “That’s in like, 15 minutes!”

“Well then damn, chica, get your ass moving. We _really_ don’t wanna be late, ‘cause ya see,” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “It’s a MONSTER club, and you know how they feel about too many humans in their joint! So, ¡Ándale! ¡Ándale!” There was the faint snapping of fingers before the line went dead.

You let the phone drop to your side. Monsters? You had no idea. You’d never even met one before, and here you were gonna go party with some. Your heart beat a little faster. You could do this.

Rolling off the couch, you crossed the room into your bedroom, remembering to sidestep the trashcan at the last second. Rifling through your clothes took longer than it should have, as instead of simply glancing at each piece, you had to “read” the braille on each tag that identified the type and color of clothing.

It was chilly out, so you decided on a black tank top underneath a loose knit (favorite dark color) sweater that made a habit of slipping off one shoulder, a black pencil skirt that ended just above your knees and a pair of grey flats. No jewelry and defiantly no make-up, because that was simply impossible and even if it wasn’t you didn’t have the time for it, plus, what monster would be interested in a human girl?

A quick rinse with mouthwash, a brush through your hair, let Sunflower out onto the patch of fake grass on your tiny balcony, and you were ready to go.

You could navigate your apartment just fine on your own, but you were going out without Sunflower, so you’d need your cane… but he just wouldn’t let you leave

“Hey, hey, Sunny,” You cooed and rubbed Sunflower’s ears, crouching down. He whined and licked your cheek. “I’ll be back, sweetie,” You placed a kiss on his cold nose. “I’ll be back.”

You eased out the door and locked it, tucking the key into the inner pocket of your sweater (So convenient!). You walked down the hall, cane sweeping the floor a step ahead of you.

On the stairs, you clung close to the railing, cane held at an angle so it would hit the floor at the end of the steps before you reached it. You were fine with just the cane, but the lack of Sunflower’s presence was somewhat nerve-wracking.  

His place by your side was enough to keep most creeps away, and without him, you were that much more vulnerable. Apparently your ‘helplessness’ turned some freaks on. If you could see, you would kick their asses, but then again, if you could, most of them might leave you be, and you had no idea what monster guys and gals were like. Would they think you were being racist by not looking at them?

Hopefully Carmen and Bea’s company would be enough security tonight.

~

“OOH!” Carmen yelled to be heard over the beat, and she had been right. This place was playing your kind of music. “THIS IS MY JAM!!! DANCE WITH ME FLAQUITA!” You could barely hear Bea’s giggle; you imagined Carmen had winked in her in an over the top fashion. Then again, everything the Latina woman did was over the top.

“Hey!” Bea’s voice was right in your ear and you jumped in your seat at the bar. “We’re gonna go dance. Can you make sure no creepers get near my drink?” She pressed said beverage against your hand. You smiled and nodded and placed a hand over the lip of the glass, fingers splayed so that if anybody tried anything, you’d feel it.

“THANKS!” Then nothing. She and Carmen were off on the dance floor, having a good time. Dancing. Seeing each other. Probably kissing and getting freaky. There were monsters everywhere, and you couldn’t even tell. You couldn’t **_see_** them

The smile slipped off your face, and the music was suddenly too loud, the heat of all the bodies in the club too hot, too pressing.

The cold cane leaning against your leg bit into the flesh. You wanted to go home.

“Anything for you doll?” The voice came from just a few feet ahead of you. The club’s bartender. Was he a monster? Your eyes flickered up instinctively before you remembered you’d just disturb him. Or make him think you were drunk. …. Maybe a drink wouldn’t hurt…. “You got Shirley Temples?”

“Sure do, MTT has all the best for its patrons. Cocktail or virgin?” “Cocktail.” You answered without thinking. Maybe the alcohol would make you less of a sour puss. “Coming right up ma’am, and of course, as required by law, I’m gonna have to see your—” You were already ahead of him, holding out your ID. “Um, it’s upside down ma’am.” Of course it was. You smiled sheepishly and flipped it.

“How much?” You were already replacing the ID and going for the money in your handbag when the bartender ‘hemmed’. “No need, Ms.” Surprised, you looked up. There was no answer to your puzzled expression for a moment, the disgusted sounding gasp alerting you to the fact your off-kilter gaze had been more than noticed.

Quickly, but not quickly enough your dropped your head, trying in vain to hide your empty eyes.

“A-all first drinks of the evening are free, f-for all guests.” Your shoulder’s drooped even more at the shake in his voice.

“Actually, I…. I changed my mind. I don’t want to trouble you.”

No argument met your ears, presumably the bartender had left to take care of someone else.

The music began to fade out, prompting you to swivel in your chair, just enough to face the dance floor and still keep your hand over Bea’s drink.

“Hey, we’re back!” Carmen called out, voice getting closer. You smiled weakly. You should go. “Hey, perfect timing.” You held out Bea’s drink and she took it gratefully. “I was just about to head out.”

Carmen gasped. “What?! No!! We’re having so much fun!”

You sighed, getting a firm grip on your cane and standing up. “Maybe you guys are but… I’m just not feeling it. I should just go home.”

There was a silence and you rushed to explain. “I don’t wanna ruin your night, and there’s no need for you to leave too, so you guys stay here and enjoy yourselves.”

“How’re you gonna get home?” Bea touched your arm lightly. You pictured her frowning.

“I’ll hail a cab. Don’t worry about me,” You smiled gently, lead settling in the pit of your stomach. “I’ll be fine.”

“At _least_ let us walk you too the door, sugar.” Carmen linked her arm with yours.

Now your smile was a little more genuine. “Thanks Carmen.”

Once you were outside you waved to your two friends and started walking away from the club’s entrance. When you found a corner, you could hail a cab.

The tik-tak of your cane filled your ears and blood rushed through your head, dampening your hearing. You sighed, head down. You didn’t need anybody else noticing you tonight.

~

Sans walked hunched over, head down, hands in his pockets. Boss had told him he needed more recreational time, whatever the hell that meant. He snorted, not like he was relaxing at his apartment or anything, then his bro just had to call him and demand that he meet him down at Mettaton’s new nightclub.

He’d have teleported straight inside, but Papyrus had specifically told him to meet him outside the club, so here he was, getting his daily dose of walking. Joy.

Just as he turned the corner, there was a blur, and a sudden weight crashed into his chest. There was a yelp and a clatter, and he flinched back, the added weight-something latched onto him? - sent him toppling to the pavement.

“Oof!” “Aaah!”

The back of his skull smacked the pavement and he groaned, stars dancing in his vision. “Arg, what the?” The weight on his chest was still there, keeping him pressed to the ground. Automatically, his hands came up to clutch at the surprisingly soft and warm-human?!

Sans could only stare in wonder at the girl, her eyes wide with shock and face flushed as she held onto his jacket for dear life. As he gripped her arms tighter she squeaked and released his jacket, eyes squeezing shut.

“S-sorry…” She breathed, making a move to get off of him. Then she was kneeling on the cement next to him and he sat up. Heat flooded his face, and so did his anger.

“Hey!” He shouted, and she flinched, hands skimming the ground. She didn’t look at him. He growled, the damn human thought she was better than him?!

“Hey!” He gripped her shoulders, hard, and she squeaked again, hands coming up as a barrier between them. He ignored them and pulled her in close, feeling her shoulders shake beneath his skeletal palms.

“Hey, look at me! Look at me when I’m talking to you!” Her (e/c) eyes flew open, but stayed fixed on the wall behind him. His phalanges gripped her arms tighter and she pushed against his chest, her weak human arms trying in vain to remove her from his grip. “What the hell is your problem?! You think you’re better than me, **h u m a n**?!”

“N-no! I-I don’t!” Her eyes were wide, scared. Good. She should be. Damn human coming to the monster part of Ebott and acting all high and mighty, what gave her the right!?

“Then,” his voice became deceptively soft, and her breathing hitched. “Why the hell won’t you look me in the eye? Huh?” He stood and dragged her up with him. “Stupid human! Why the hell not?”

She froze, eyes sliding shut and for a moment he thought maybe she had fainted. Then she took in a shuddering breath and spoke in a whisper. “I-I’m blind…”

His soul dropped down to his toes and he stepped back, dropping his hands. Shit. “Oh, crap.” Lead replaced the marrow in his bones. _Shit._

“M-my cane’s somewhere around here…” She knelt, hands skimming the ground again.

**_Fuck me._ **

“Shit, kid I…” Sans felt his sins crawling on his back. “Lemme help ya.” He’d terrorized an innocent human. A blind one too. If Frisk or Papyrus ever heard about this…..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, ho, Sans, you can't just act like such a cad with a lady!  
> Again guys, thanks so much for all the Kudos, Bookmarks, and great comments! You are all great readers!


	4. At Last, We Meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans attempts to be a gentleman, but after what he just pulled, plus Papyrus butting in, it ain't gonna be easy.

“Here ya go,” Sans pushed the cane into the path of the human’s searching hands. She flashed him a nervous smile as her fingers wrapped around the rubber grip, blank eyes set somewhere along his jawline.

He gulped and reached for her other hand. “Lemme help ya u-” She shrank back, tucking her arms close to her body as his phalanges brushed her skin.

He froze. “Uh… Kid, I’m not gonna hurt ya, honest. I’m sorry I scared ya earlier, I uh…” He cleared his throat.

She tilted her head towards him, fists unclenching. “It’s okay…” She offered him a gentle, sad smile. “Not the first time something like that’s happened…..” She offered him her small, soft hand.

Gently, surprising himself, he grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Well, I kinda feel like a massive jerk now.”  

She pulled her hand back from his and grasped her arm self-consciously, “It’s…. ah, I mean…” She nodded sharply, more to herself than to him. “I forgive you, just…. Remember to ‘look’ at a situation more closely before you jump to conclusions.”

Sans blinked in surprise and started snickering as her eyes went wide. “Wait! I mean-!” Her squeak of shame made him laugh even harder at her accidental pun.

Her face flushed and she pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes. “Oh, God…. Kill me…”

Sans grinned. “No can do, sweetheart, I’ve—”

“SANS!!” A familiar yell that had Sans grumbling sent the human- just a girl, really-  stumbling away from his loud and angry brother, her head whipping towards the taller skeleton as she collided with his chest. Again.

He was prepared this time however, he planted his feet firmly and steadied her shoulders with both hands—and sent a glare at Papyrus, who stood there like an avenging angel, meeting Sans’ glare with a glower of his own.

“AHA, I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU!! WHAT WERE YOUT THINKING, LOLLYGAGGING JUST AROUND THE CORNER? YOU’RE LUCKY, I HEARD YOU BEFORE I GOT _TOO_ ANNOYED.”

The girl in his arms shifted and turned away from Papyrus’ ear-splitting intones.

“NOW CO—….. Sans,” Papyrus’s voice quieted as he interpreted the scene before him. “Are you… hugging a human?”

Sans swore and practically leaped back as he realized what their position must have looked like. As his face lit up like a firetruck, he thanked whatever powers that be that Papyrus hadn’t found them when she was on top of him, or when he had been growling and shaking her like a rat.

“Shit! Pap-Boss, you don’t understand!”

“OH, I UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY, SANS,” Papyrus boomed, hands on his hips and a peculiar gleam in his eye, which did nothing to calm the shorter skeleton.

“YOU’RE DOING YOUR JOB FOR ONCE!!” The tall monster grinned, “I’M PROUD OF YOU, SANS.”

Said skeleton gawked.

The human’s head tilted side to side, her face set in a mask of confusion. “Um, what—”

“IT IS VERY NICE TO MEET YOU HUMAN,” Papyrus swept his hand out dramatically towards the girl, who did nothing, for of course she couldn’t see his waiting handshake.

“It’s, uh, nice to meet you too,” She was looking just to the right of Papyrus’ head. “Umm, Mister…?”

“PAPYRUS THE GREAT,” Said skeleton still held his hand at the human’s chest level, finger’s extended. A frown started to form on his face.

Thinking fast, Sans reached out and gently guided her hand into Paps’, feeling pleased when she didn’t shy away from his touch. She did flinch, however, at the feeling of bone underneath her fingers, but kept a patient smile on her face. “(Y/N).”

~

You tried not to shiver as cold bones wrapped around your hand, confusion making your head spin.

“Sans,” The monster who’s hand you were currently shaking ‘whispered’ loud enough that even if your hearing wasn’t exceptional you could have been able to clearly make out his words. “Why isn’t she looking at the awesome face of the great Papyrus?”

Trying to answer, you instead began to cough, a tickle in the back of your throat. You managed to eke out an apology as you turned away to cough into your elbow, other hand still outstretched.

There was rustling from the direction of the other monster, Sans, as you’d heard the other address him, and you imagined he was shifting from one foot to the other, or maybe wringing his hands. “She’s uh… Um, (Y/N) here is…”

“Blind.” You finished for him, clearing your throat and retracting your hand from Papyrus’s. What strange names these monsters had. “I’m blind.”

“OH,” Papyrus’ voice had returned to its normal deafening volume, but a pregnant silence stretched out between you and the two monsters.

Smiling wearily, you cleared your throat. “Well, it was nice to meet you two, but I should be getting home now. Um… bye, I guess?”

“OH, YOU CAN’T LEAVE NOW!” A thin, and strong arm wrapped around your shoulders, tugging you back, and you gulped, hoping that you didn’t look as panicked as you felt as your heart began to speed up again.

“W-whaddya mean?” What did these monsters want with you?

“WE SHOULD CELEBRATE THE NEWLY FOUND FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND MY LAZY-BONES BROTHER. SEEMS ONLY FITTING….. THAT IS WHY THE GREAT PAPYRUS FOUND YOU TWO IN AN EMBRACE, CORRECT?”

You blinked, cheeks heating and mouth dry as you tried to protest, but never got the chance.

“H-hey, Paps, the lady said she wants to go home.” That was Sans, he was standing up for you?

You nodded vigorously as he continued. “So let’s do the polite thing and let her go.”

The arm around your shoulders loosened and you ducked out from under it. “Yes, I’m terribly sorry, but I should be getting back—”

A dramatic gasp interrupted you.  “ALAS, HOW COULD I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, BE SO LACKING IN MANNERS! OF COURSE, YOU ARE FREE TO DO AS YOU WISH HUMAN, AS IT IS CUSTOM HERE ON THE SURFACE TO ALWAYS BE A GENTLEMAN TO ALL FEMALES, NO MATTER SPECIES OR AGE!”

“…oh-okay…” You readjusted your grip on your cane, not for the first time wishing you had stayed home or bought Sunflower along. “Thank you for under—” You broke off as another cough tore its way out of your chest. 

A boney hand made itself known on your shoulder as you bent double, lungs heaving. “Aw, geez,” You wheezed, another cough burbling past your lips. ”I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

“Well, maybe we should call you a cab or something,” Sans’ voice was right by your ear. “You don’t sound too good, hu- uh, I mean, (Y/N).”

You smiled weakly in his general direction. “Maybe it’s allergies?” You attempted to laugh, but it turned into rasping and choking.

“Shit, kid.”

“HUMAN, WHAT IS THE MATTER?”

“I’m sure it’s—*cough*—nothing, I should probably just get home and sleep.” You straightened and fumbled for your phone, “I—*cough*—can just call a cab—*cough*—to take me home.”

~

Sans exchanged a look with his brother and grimaced as the girl ran a finger over the buttons on her phone. It was old fashioned, a flip phone if he could believe it, but then again, what did a blind girl need of a smart phone? Should she even be going alone?

Thinking of how much trouble she could have gotten into with him, and nearly did just a few minutes earlier set his mind to thinking. She could get hurt, or worse, trying to make it across the city at night. Maybe he could help her home, if only to assist human-monster relations.

“Do… do you want us to take you to your home?” The words sounded very-much not like him as they left his mouth, and he could feel Papyrus gaping at him.

She sagged in defeat, a ragged sigh bubbling up past her pretty lips. Wait—pretty? What the hell was wrong with him? Sans shook his head to clear it as she spoke. “Alright, I guess, if… if you don’t mind, that is?”

“No, uh…” Sans mind raced. If other monsters saw him with her, what would they think? Worse, if it got back to Grillby? He’d never hear the end of it, all because he had to be nice to this weak, fragile, blind human.

But still….

Sans sighed, voice rough as he said, “No, no I don’t mind. Where d’ya live, kid? Maybe I know a shortcut.”

She flashed him a grateful smile, blank eyes just missing his to rest on the bridge of his nose. “I live in the Green Terrace Apartments, it’s—” She turned away to cough again, and a pang of concern battled the pleasant surprise and shock that tingled all the way down to his toes. “

“Near the downtown library?” He finished for her, something strange pushing its way up into his throat.

She jerked in surprise, ‘looking’ up towards him, eyes wide and unfocused as she tottered backwards. “H-how’d you know?”

He shrugged nonchalantly, and looked away, before remembering that she couldn’t see him. “Lucky guess? Heheh…”

“LUCKY GUESS MY FOOT, YOU LIVE THERE SANS.” Of course Papyrus had to but in, Sans deadpanned, shooting his brother a glare.

“Uh, yeah, crazy coincidence, right?”

“Yeah,” She faced the ground, arms crossed self-consciously. “Crazy.”

She sounded sad. Sad and scared.

Sans frowned, frustration once again simmering in his bones, all the guilt and concern he had felt a moment earlier evaporating. Why was she making this difficult!? All he wanted to do was help her!

Perhaps a good deal rougher than he should have, he grabbed the human’s arm and tugged her in close, ignoring her yelp and her flinch when he touched her. “Come on,” He growled softly in her ear, “I know a shortcut. I can get ya there in no time.”

“W-wait, what are you doing? Do you have a car or something?”

He chuckled darkly. “Not quite.”

“SANS!” Admonished Papyrus, looming over his brother menacingly. “DON’T YOU DARE! YOU DON’T—”

His brother, the club, the street all vanished as he left them all behind. The human in his arms let out a whimper as they passed through the void, clinging tighter to him with each passing second, and if he was honest with himself, it felt kinda good.

Then they were there, standing just outside the Green Terrace Apartments, the buzz of the florescent entry way lights and the cool night air all rushing to meet them.

Encircled in his arms, the human girl took in a shuddering breath, and he could feel her pulse pounding underneath her soft skin; each beat of her heart chipped away at his anger and reminded him of her small, breakable presence.

He let his arms drop, the girl keeping close a moment longer before pushing herself away, knees shaking. “W-what the hell was t-that? Wh-what just happened?”

“Heh, sorry, got a bit carried away.” He rubbed the back of his skull sheepishly, not remembering that she couldn’t tell. “That was the void, an’ now, we’re outside of our apartments.”

She gaped up at him, wonder mixing with her unease. “You can teleport?!”

He grinned, wider than usual, and patted her shoulder. “Something like that, yeah.”

They were silent for a moment before he asked, “So where do you live up there anyway?” He figured with her disability, they’d put her on the first or second floor, close to the ground, so getting out wouldn’t be a hassle.

“I’m in Apartment 311.” She said, shining (e/c) eyes innocently and blankly gazing at his left shoulder.

If he had a heart, it would have stopped.


	5. Look With Your Hands, Not Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and (Y/N) share an awkward goodbye. The next morning, (Y/N) remembers a few key details about her past, and wonders about her newest monstrous acquaintance.

Incredulous, Sans stood there silently, a lump catching in his throat. “Ya… Wha?” Was his genius response, taking another long look at the human in front of him.

She wasn’t that tall, and in his usual slouch, she barely came up to his chin. Her hair was kinda messy from the wind, but if fell to frame her face in a cute way. A slight, barely noticeable scar marred her skin on her left temple, and her (e/c) eyes were unfocused. Her tiny hands were winding together as she spoke again, her smile faint, but still pleasant. “Apartment 311.”

He nodded, remembered she couldn’t see him and scrambled to form words, reaching for her shoulder. “Oh, uh, okay, I can just pop over into the hallway, and—”

She winced and ducked away from his hand, and a pang of rejection ran through him, but was eased as she smiled apologetically, face scrunched. “A-actually, can we not… teleport? I…” She flushed, tapping the ground nervously with her cane.  “Not, that it i-isn’t cool, but I’m still a little queasy from the first time…” She turned and let out another little cough into her elbow.

“Sure,” Sans shrugged instinctively, shoving one hand in his jacket’s pocket, the other coming up to guide her in the right direction. He found that she didn’t need much help as they walked: she kept sweeping the cane over the ground about a step ahead of her. She almost walked right into the door, or at least he thought she did, but she stopped short and groped for the handle.

“Let me get that fer ya,” He reached past and held it open, and she sent him a tiny smile and whispered thanks.

Once inside, Sans was sure that she missed a step or something, because she veered off to the right instead of continuing straight to the elevator. He quickly sidled over and placed a hand on her arm, and to her credit, her flinch was barely noticeable, but still there, nonetheless. “Hey, where ya goin’? The elevator’s this way.”

“I… I’m not a big fan of elevators.” She tilted her head away, towards the door a few feet away, the sign above it proclaiming it as the stairs.

“Oh, uh sure,” Sans scratched his head. “Don’t the stairs give ya trouble, though?”

She half-smiled as she groped for the door’s handle. He was just about to reach and help her when her fingers closed around the metal handle and she pulled the door open. “Not really,” The tapping of her cane resumed as she headed in towards the stairs, pausing as she reached the first step. “The cane helps, and I know how many steps between each floor.”

Climbing the stairs beside her, Sans chuckled, hands in his pockets. “This how ya get yer daily exercise?”

“Pretty much.”

~

The monster—Sans—sure liked to keep the conversation going. You didn’t mind, it was a nice change in pace from your usual quiet commute. As the two of you ascended the stairs, he asked why you didn’t like the elevator, a bit of strain in his voice. Seemed like he didn’t use the stairs much.

You shrugged, but that little bit of fear creeped up your spine at the thought of the small metal box, closing you in—what if the cable snapped?—if it fell it could collapse! And the already small space would crush you like a bug! You gulped.

“I just don’t like them… I’ve got claustrophobia.”

“Oh,” Was his response, then you were at the third floor. “Hey, we’re here.”

He was quiet the rest of the way to your door, striding just ahead of you.

When you got to your door you offered him a smile. “Thanks for taking me home.” You turned away to cough into your elbow.

“N-no problem, (Y/N). You uh, you take care of yourself.”

“You too,” You pulled out your key and felt for the door knob. “Guess I’ll see you around sometime, NO pun intended.”

He started to laugh. “Oh, sweetheart, that is _too_ good.”

You couldn’t help the half-smirk that wormed its way onto your face. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Ya know, maybe I can come by sometime. I do live here.”

You smiled gently. “That’d be nice.”

“Uh, hey listen, I—”

Whatever he had been going to say was interrupted as your door shuddered, a joyous bark coming from behind it.

“I’ll be in just a minute sweetie,” You cooed through the door before turning back to Sans, “Sorry, that’s my dog, he’s just really happy I’m back.”

You heard Sans shuffled backwards. “Well, I better go, an’ let ya get back to yer dog.”

 You worked the key into the lock, head tilting towards the monster. Was.. was that sadness in his voice? You swallowed thickly, feeling the awkwardness in the air. “A-alright, you take care.”

“Heh, yeah. G’night, kid.”

You offered one last smile. “Goodnight.”

Then you slipped inside the apartment, crouching down to embrace your canine roommate. His body was shaking fiercely, as he licked your face, his tail must have been wagging non-stop.

“Hey, Sunny.” You planted a kiss on the top of his furry head, noting the distinct lack of footsteps outside in the hallway. You wondered if Sans was still there.

~

The next morning, you stood over the sink in your bathroom., splashing cold water over your face and puffy eyes. Seems your allergies _were_ acting up last night, but you had no idea what triggered them. Usually pollen was to blame, but as far as you knew, there weren’t any flowers or plants around, and you couldn’t imagine that the MTT nightclub had bouquets anywhere in their club.

Clearing your throat, you raised your head, letting the water drip off your face into the sink below, a few droplets rolling down your chin to soak your nightshirt’s collar. You sighed and raised a hand gingerly to your face, feeling the skin around your closed eyes, finding that the swelling had gone down, if only a little. The edge of one of your fingers brushed against the scar on your left temple and you frowned, dropping your hand as your mind flashing back to the accident.

You were nine, going on ten. Your best friend’s mom was picking you up from school. You were looking out the window, watching the buildings go by in a blur of color. Your friend was telling you a joke. You turned to look at her, a smile crossing your face. A break in the buildings through the window behind her. Her mom began to swear, but a sudden impact and the crunch of metal on metal and shattering glass interrupted her.

Your hands clenched into fists as you remembered waking up after the crash. Your vision was dark. You couldn’t see. You’d never see again.

Sunflower sighed and leaned against your leg, breaking you out of your gloom, begging for a scratch behind the ears. You grinned and rubbed his ears, “Sorry bud, just thinking.”

He let out a low little whine, tilting his head to get you to scratch his chin.

You’d only gotten Sunflower when you started going to college at the age of 18. The golden retriever was just six months old when you got him, and he’d been a little difficult to get used to, sometimes getting underfoot at first, but now you couldn’t image life without him.

The faint buzz of your cell from your room called you away from Sunflower, who trailed after you as you walked back to your bedside, feeling for your phone on the nightstand.

“Hello?”

“Hey, you okay? You sound terrible.” Carmen’s voice was full of concern.

You smiled, heading back to the bathroom. “Yeah, just some allergies. I’ve no idea what triggered them.”

Her voice was incredulous. “Allergies?”

“Yeah, I know, crazy right?” You shut the door behind you, feeling Sunflower squeeze past your legs to join you in the bathroom.  

“Ha, yeah, anyways, I was just calling to make sure you got home okay. You know there are some real crazies out there.”

You sighed, leaning against the counter. “I know. But I got home alright, some……body took me home. He was pretty nice.”

There was a gasp, followed by a thud from the other side of the line, like something had fallen. “¡Dios Mio! What the hell, (Y/N)! You accepted a ride from some stranger? You didn’t have Sunny with you, what if he kidnapped you, or worse!”

You winced and pressed a hand to your face. “Okay, okay, in retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have, but everything turned out alright! I bumped into Sans when I was turning a corner, and he offered to take me home, and he did, and everything was great!” You left out the part where he had also threatened and scared the holy bejesus out of you, but you were sure it was okay.

The line was silent.

Perplexed, you wondered if it had gone dead. “Carmen? Are you still there?”

“Did… Did you hook up with this ‘Sans’ guy?”

“W-what?!” You screeched, face flushing. “What the hell!! C-Carmen why would you ask that?”

“So you did! Is he still in your apartment? Is he into disabled chicks?”

You sank to the floor in an embarrassed heap. “NO, NO, nonononono! I did not sleep with him! What the hell made you think that I did?!”

“Aww, you didn’t?” She sounded way too disappointed.

“NO!” You bellowed into the phone, Sunflower coming over to lick your cheek

“Pity.” She sighed. “You cared enough to mention his name, so I thought there was a spark.”

You huffed, burying your face in your free hand. “You know I’m not into one-night-stand stuff Carmen. And besides, you know I’m not looking for a relationship right now. The last one I had was terrible.” You scowled. “So not looking for a repeat.”

~

Your shower was unusually quiet that morning as you thought back to what Carmen had said.

You _had_ bothered to mention Sans’ name. You did feel a little weird around him, but you had figured that was the whole mysterious/scary/unknown monster thing. What if it was attraction?

Once the misunderstanding had been cleared up, he was surprisingly gentle. Even his apparent love of puns was kind of endearing.

But… your faint smile shrank. What you said to Carmen was true. You weren’t looking for a relationship. That asshat of an ex of yours had made sure of that.

Plus, Sans was a monster.

Specifically, a skeleton. He’d said so himself, and even if you couldn’t see him, you’d felt his hands, and they were definitely boney, so you had no trouble imagining that. Yet he’d also had some mass to him, which you could attest to from when you first ran into him, and when you’d travelled through what he had called ‘the void.’ After all, you had held on pretty tightly.

You wondered if his face was like a human skeleton.

Sometimes, people let you feel their faces to get a better ‘view’ of them. Carmen had practically begged you to ‘see’ what she looked like when you first met. It was weird sometimes, putting your hands on other people’s faces, and occasionally poking them in the eye—on accident!—but it really did help you get a better sense of who the person was.

You wondered what Sans looked like, both in terms of sight, and touch.

You giggled, picturing a cartoony skull on top of a buff man’s body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anybody have an idea about who I could make a villain out of for this fic? Could be a monster, could be Chara, could be some racist humans. Who do you think could make a good antagonist?


	6. Monster Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmen takes you out for breakfast. Later, the rain forces you to take shelter with some rather unpleasant company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Racism, cat-calling/drunk dude being a creepy douche and using bad words, and Underfell Grillby being himself

You didn’t know how she did it.

Carmen had dragged you out of your apartment once again, this time for breakfast.

No wait, you did know.

Carmen had a spare key for your apartment, just for emergencies, allowing her to slam open your apartment door and threw you in the bathroom before you had time to process what was going on. Sunny, the traitor, just licked her hands and melted into her touch while she cooed at him in Spanish. At her insistence, you brushed your teeth and changed into day clothes before she shoved you out the door.

“Where the heck are we going that’s so great you had to wake me up the one time I get to sleep in?”

She just laughed, pulling you faster down the hall and to the stairs. “Oh, sweetie, I found the best place for pastries, you just _have_ to try them! And oh my God, ¡son maravilloso! To die for!”

“If they’re as good as you say, I’ll forgive you for waking me up.” You smiled good-naturedly, keeping a tight grip on Sunflower’s harness.

“Oh, they are, you’ll thank me,” She lowered her voice conspiratorially, “And it’ll be my treat as long as you dish everything about that Sans guy from last week.”

You squawked and nearly missed a stair. Turning to glare as best you could through your new sunglasses, you hissed at the laughing woman. “I told you nothing happened!”

“Those burning cheeks say otherwise, Chiquita~” You could practically feel the smugness oozing off of Carmen. “Unless you’ve just got the hots for your knight in shining armor!”

Reaching the end of the stairs, you urged Sunny forwards to rush out of the stairwell and towards the main door, tossing a childish, “Shut up!” over your shoulder. 

~

An hour later found you sitting outside a café called _Muffet’s,_ which was run by a very nice monster lady of the same name in a new part of town, one of many places that had sprung up as the monsters moved onto the surface.

You were finishing off one of the best fruit tarts you’d ever eaten and sipping an iced coffee as the sun beat down on you. Occasionally you reached into the little bag of kibble stashed in your pocket, dropping a few for Sunflower to scarf up.

Across from you, there was a clink of metal against ceramic as Carmen stirred her hot chocolate.

“How can you drink that?” You pointed with your fork in Carmen’s general direction, feeling sweat trickle down the back of your neck. Despite it still being pretty early in the day, summer’s heat was already upon you. “I’m melting over here!”

She laughed. “It’s soooo good! Told you it’s to die for, didn’t I?”

You took another bite of the rich pastry, sighing in content and agreement. It amazed you to feel the food dissolve in your mouth, leaving the sweet flavor and a feeling of being refreshed and awake sweeping through you.

Too shy to ask how, you chalked it up to being a monster thing.

“So,” There was a clatter as Carmen set her cup down, presumably to lean forwards and stare into your soul, “I bought you breakfast. We had a deal, so spill, and don’t leave out any details. I can’t believe you held out on me all week! _Especially_ with this monster!” Her voice raised up into an excited squeal towards the end.

You raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ll tell you after you spill, I promise.”

Sighing, you complied. “Okay, okay… So it happened like this. I was going to hail a cab after I left the club, but right as I was turning to corner, I run into something. Well, actually, it was Sans, but I thought it was a wall at first, but I, um, knocked him over, and I fell too, and I kinda… landed on top of him? B-but that’s not important!” You rushed to continue as Carmen guffawed.

“And so I was mortified, and he got angry, so I got the frick off, but he actually apologized to me when he realized I’m blind…” You reached down to scratch Sunny’s ears, a calming mechanism for both you and he as you again left out the part where Sans shook you like a rag doll and scared the bejesus out of you.

“And when I was still going to take a cab he offered to take me, and as it turns out he lives in the same complex, I thought that was pretty cool, and then um….” You whispered the last part, “He teleported with me, like, I think he was using magic! It was awesome!”

You couldn’t help an amazed grin from spreading on your face. “I’d never even met a monster before and then I get to teleport?! That’s….”

Your grin faded as you realized something. “Wait, Carmen, I never told you he was a monster before this. How did you...?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” There was a smack of skin on skin, she must have face palmed, "That’s what I needed to tell you!”

Expectantly, you leaned forwards and raised an eyebrow.

 Carmen sighed, “Okay, so I mentioned that my friend had been taken home by this Sans guy, and I swear to all things holy that at least 3 monsters just started staring at me. This Sans of yours--”

“He’s not _my_ anything,” you protested, “He just lives in the same building as me.”

Carmen paused, but you knew it wasn’t to concede, she was probably staring you down; you were proven correct when she drawled, “Uh-huh, _riiiiight…_ Anyways, this Sans guy is a _majorly_ big deal. He and his brother, this huge guy named Papyrus, were infamous underground for being pretty ruthless, not to mention very dangerous. Rumor has it this Sans guy put half-a-dozen people in the hospital for being rude to him or some shit.”

You blinked. Sure, Sans had scared you witless when you’d first met him, and he…. He had given you two nasty bruises on your shoulders, but he’d apologized, and it had all been a misunderstanding!

…..Right?

You swallowed thickly, reaching down for Sunny once again. “Oh, I…”

Carmen put her hand over yours and shushed you gently before continuing. “This guy is a bad-boy with a capital B, (Y/N). Being on the surface has apparently mellowed him out, he’s actually an assistant to the monster ambassador, which is totally awesome by the way, but I want you to be careful with this one,” Her voice lowered even more, “Especially after that bastard Jasper… I think you need to find someone nice.” Her voice jumped back up to its normal chipper tone. “But if you find out he’s not such a bad guy after all, I say go for it!”

Your jaw clenched at the mention of your ex, but you nodded. “I’ll—well if I ever run into him again we’ll see, but Carmen I keep telling you, I’m not attracted to him!”

“Yeah, no, that’s total bull.”

“Carmen!”

“What? It’s written all over your face!”

You groaned and buried said face into your hands, thinking over what Carmen had said. There had been tightness in your chest when you’d been talking with Sans on the way back home, but you’d thought it was just nerves and self-consciousness.

No. There was no way you were crushing on this guy, even if he’d been nice and had walked you home. There was no way this was gonna happen. No. You refused.

Not after you’d broken up with Jasper…. What was it, like 3 months ago now?  Wow, time flies. You hadn’t realized it’s been that long, but with how Jasper kept trying to get in contact with you, it felt shorter.

Jasper had been a manipulative, possessive jerk, who kept taking advantage of your blindness and stopping you from getting in contact with your friends and family. He’d almost convinced you that you were worthless, and he was the only one you could depend on, he was the only one that cared for you despite your disability.

You’d gotten so depressed you believed him for a while, before Bea had caught on and gotten Carmen to help her expose his lies, and turns out the bastard had even been cheating on you.

You’d been so betrayed the last time you trusted someone with your heart, you still weren’t ready to trust someone, or some monster with it again.

“Carmen, I…” you raised your head and smiled weakly at her. “I’m just not ready for a relationship right now, even if I wanted to… I don’t think I could.”

~

College Finals ended the following week, prompting you to celebrate the beginning of summer by spending the night on the town, and treating yourself to another delicious pastry from Muffet’s.

The air started to cool as you walked to the café, Sunflower’s tail brushing your leg as he wagged it, happy to be taking in the new smells of the monster district.

A few decidedly rude comments about human beings in general reached your ears, but you ignored them, taking solace in the fact that many other humans were integrating with the monsters. In fact, when Carmen had first taken you to Muffet’s, the short exchanges she’d held with other monsters and Muffet herself had been familiar and easy going, showing that she’d become a regular of sorts at the spider’s café.

You knew you were getting close as the scent of powdered sugar and warm vanilla filled the air.

But fate had other plans as the sky began to cry.

You stilled as a few ice-cold droplets pricked your skin like tiny needles, before picking up your pace.  Yet the droplets turned bigger and began falling harder faster than you could blink, soaking through hair and clothes.

There was a mild panic around you as pedestrians rushed to find cover, pushing you and Sunny before you decided to make it easy and go with the flow, edging right and away from the street, towards the buildings.

You then found yourself standing half-soaked underneath a canopy or overhang of some sorts. No more rain fell on your head, but a few stray droplets from the side wet your legs and feet. Sunny pressed himself against you and you chuckled, thinking that you should have brought an umbrella anyways, despite the forecast only predicting 30% chance of showers.

The smell of searing meat and grease and alcohol hit you all of a sudden as you stood there, feeling the brick bite into your back. A bar?

Yes, you decided, that must be it, you'd found shelter from the rain outside a bar. It struck you as funny, you’d never considered monsters having a bar, which of course made sense, but you’d never considered it before. You began to smile.

“Heeeey huuuman…” A slurred voice from your left drawled, the sudden heavy smell of alcohol making your nose wrinkle and smile fade.

Of course, monsters would have drunks too, wouldn’t they?

As a human in the monster part of Ebott, and as young woman in the world of today’s crazies, you were instantly on guard, Sunny tensing besides you in a response to your unease.

“Your kind… you… you ain’t… y..yain’t welcome here!” Footsteps shuffled closer and you edged away, feeling a growl building up in Sunflower’s chest.

“I-I have a right to be here as much as anyone!” You defended, praying another human, or at least a decent monster would come and save you. “Equality goes both ways!”

There was a scoff. “Bitch don… don tell me what I know! Yer jus’some privileged human slut come’ta flaunt yerself n’ tease us.”

You gulped, self-consiously pulling down the legs of your short-shorts with shaking fingers. “I-it’s hot out, I have a right to wear whatever I want!”

“Somebody…. Somebody oughtaaa teach ya a lessonnn, hehehe~”

~

Grillby was usually the type of monster to mind his own business, but when it came to his _business_ , he wasn’t about to let anybody tarnish his restaurant.

When the rain started, a rush of customers, human and monster alike, though the former were few and far between, came into his establishment, he was forced to throw out one monster who’d been there the entire afternoon drinking his troubles away. As much as he valued the money from the drunken sap, he had started throwing slurs at the human patrons, and Grillby was a shrewd businessman.

He’d sacrifice the drunken lout’s money a hundred times over to keep humans coming into his bar.

The locals alone brought in bucketful’s of cash, and the tourists that had started trickling in… well, the purple flame monster had never thought he’d be so happy to have gawking humans in his place, albeit, gawking humans who practically threw cash at him for his greasy food and monstrous beers and liquors.

So he kicked the monster out the door and cheerfully dusted off his flaming hands with a claim of his right to refuse service.

Grillby wasn’t going to butt in when he heard the monster start talking to someone outside, Sans would be in any minute, and he had to make sure he had enough mustard. Besides, it was raining, and he wasn’t about to risk getting wet

But then he heard a girl shrieking.

Curiosity piqued, he glanced back outside, seeing the lizard monster facing off with a young human woman and her growling dog.

The human’s hand was stretched out like a barrier between her and the monster, whose back was turned towards the bartender. Her face was flushed, and behind tinted glasses, her eyes were wide with fright, though interestingly, she never looked towards Grillby.

“Don’t touch me!” She hissed, letting the dog, hackles raised, get in between her and the drunk.

Grillby’s eyes narrowed before the lizard monster chuckled and slurred, reaching out for her. “Heh… c’mere baby, I’llll show’ya… show’ya how a _real_ monster can be witttthhh ya.”

Ah, the situation was clear now, the human wasn’t racist. She was scared of the drunk, though why she hadn’t asked him for help by now was perplexing. Despite this, Grillby had had enough. The monster wouldn’t be giving Grillby’s a bad name today.

Grabbing the lizard’s collar, Grillby hauled him back and away from the human. “Wha-hey!”

“I believe the lady wants to be left alone,” Grillby growled in the drunk’s ear. “So I suggest you **leave**.” With a shove, the lizard was sent toppling out into the street, falling into a puddle.

The girl stared at him, no that wasn’t quite right, Grillby realized, looking between the dog’s unusual harness to the girl’s hesitance and dark glasses that she kept on regardless of the rain clouds.

“Apologies for his behavior, miss,” Grillby purred, unashamedly looking the human up and down, after all, she couldn’t see it. “I won’t be letting him near my establishment again.”

What a sight _she_ was. Long legs exposed by denim shorts, slick with the rain, and a rather low-cut black T-shirt, and was that a polka-dot bra he could see through the soaked fabric? Very nice. She wasn’t bad looking either, maybe even attractive, for a human woman.

“Oh, I… thank you, mister..?” She looked so relieved, taking a few cautious steps towards him. Even her guide dog had relaxed.

“Grillby,” Moving closer, he swept up her hand, avoiding the rain all the while. “Owner of this fine establishment.” Bowing his head, he pressed her hand to his mouth.

She turned a rather interesting color but smiled shyly and did not draw away from the monster. “(Y/N) (L/N).”

“(Y/N), you know what? I’m going to buy you a drink to make up for that monster’s… rudeness.”

“That would… not be unappreciated,” She smiled up at him, “But, I wouldn’t want to be a bother...”

Grillby purred, “It would be my pleasure,” and took great joy in watching her face flush again as she nodded.

He smiled smugly and led her inside the bar. She followed demurely, if a bit hesitant, until her guide dog took over leading her, it’s black nose twitching excitedly at all the new smells Grillby’s restaurant was offering him.

Sitting her at the bar, he excused himself and went back to his customers, though he did note the appreciative looks some of the patrons were sending her way; but a look from the bartender sent them back to their own business. Grillby had seen her first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAHA wow.  
> I got so many comments and suggestions from all of your guys on good villains, and quite a few of them struck cords with me. I actually had to keep rewriting this chapter because of new antagonist ideas!  
> I won't tell it all (That would be spoiling) but Reader's Ex will be making a few appearances(He was originally gonna show up in this, but then I was all 'nah, that's too cliche') and there will be a few diff villains, like, actually evil, totally will be against reader and Sans, BAD GUYS; and a few mild antagonists that create conflict for the story.  
> Once again, thank you guys so much!


	7. His

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans finds you and Grillby striking up an acquaintance, which somehow rubs him the wrong way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight WARNING: You get kinda drunk in this chapter. Not shitfaced, but loopy/emotional drunk. Also, Racism, but that comes later.

“Heya, Grilbz,” Sans nodded a greeting to the flame monster, settling down on his barstool, taking a cursory glance around the bar. There were quite a bit of humans in the joint, meaning barely a dozen. Judging by the puddles on the floorboards, the rain was probably the cause of the surge of customers, both monsters and humans.

Grillby nodded back, sliding a bottle of mustard across the counter to him. “Sans.”

Said monster grimaced as he twisted the top from the condiment bottle, showcasing his sharp teeth. “Lotta humans tonight,” he let out a _humerus_ -less chuckle before downing a good quarter of the bottle.

“Any of ‘em causing ya trouble?” His eyelights flickered around from human to human. He was eager for a confrontation, having been cooped up in the ambassador’s office all day.

Grillby shook his head. “Not this bunch. Had to kick out a drunk earlier, though.”

Sans raised a non-existent eyebrow. Not like the bartender to willingly boot out a paying customer.  Ah well, not his fuckin’ problem.

Grillby left to attend to another customer as he raised the yellow bottle again.

Finishing it in a few long gulps, Sans considered wasting the rest of the night at the familiar bar, drowning his sorrows in mustard. But what sorrows could he possibly drown?

He was on the surface, had been for 18 months.

He had a job, a steady, important, well-paying one.

Paps was never on his case anymore for being lazy; well, almost never.

Oh, that’s right.

(Y/N).

His neighbor, the one who serenaded him and teased him through their shared walls. (Y/N), who he’d met only two weeks ago, after 2 and a half months of living next door, and listening to her shower, and fantasizin—NO, SHUT UP BRAIN, HE MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT DO THAT. EVER. WELL MAYBE TWICE— and he hadn’t even talked to her since he’d taken her home.

 Oh, he’d heard her though, singing in her shower to be sure, but also…the morning after he’d first met her, when she’d been talking with one of her friends on the phone.

She hadn’t…

(Y/N) hadn’t told the truth about their first encounter. Again she’d lied, first to Papyrus and then to her _friend_ , but why? Why would she lie and protect him from the retribution his actions would have surely brought him?

He’d scared her, _hurt_ her, but she protected him. She showed him kindness he knew he didn’t deserve, and she’d never even met him before.

Then his cheekbones had burned as she screamed at her friend for thinking that they’d…. that they…. Had hooked up.

His face was glowing a little now, even as he thought about it…. Ha! Like that’d ever happen. He wasn’t that lucky.

Through a lull in the conversation around him, he heard a Grillby talking to someone down at the other end of the bar. “…On the house, my dear.”

Again, Sans was surprised with the flame monster. First Grillby had actually kicked someone out, now he was giving stuff away? Who was this and what had they done with the real Grillby?

The person he was talking to seemed of a similar mindset, protesting in a quiet, female voice. “Oh, no I couldn’t possibly—” “Of course you can,” The bartender pressed, only for the woman to continue. “You’ve already done so much for me, I insist I at least pay for the meal, if you won’t let me pay for the drinks?”

Sans glanced over, view half blocked by the other patrons, to see Grillby lean back, a self-satisfied slant to his face. “If you insist.” Sans leaned forwards to get a better view at the monster Grillby was no doubt charming, but he still couldn’t see ‘em.

“Thank you, Grillby,” Came the reply, and damn, if he didn’t know that voice from somewhere!

A jolt ran through his bones as Grillby spoke. “The pleasure’s all mine, (Y/N)”

(Y/N)?

(Y/N)! It _was_ her!

She laughed breathily, the sound tugging at his SOUL.

He’d only heard her laughing when she talked to herself in the shower. That laugh was _his_ to hear. _His._ Not Grillby’s. He found himself growling as he leaned forwards again, trying to catch a glimpse of her.

“Are you this smooth with all the ladies?” (Y/N) Asked innocently, a hint of sass in her voice, and oh, how it killed him.

“Only the beautiful ones,” Came the reply.

Sans’ hands curled into angry fists around the long forgotten mustard bottle, the sharp ends of his phalanges piercing the plastic and tearing it. The rumble in his throat grew as he finally caught sight of (Y/N), leaning in towards the smug bartender, smiling brightly and cheeks flushed from the touch of alcohol.

His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched as she laughed again, shining eyes unfocused but squinting in mirth.

How _dare_ he?!

A slight hush fell over most of the bar as the monsters and humans noticed Sans’ anger, wondering what he was going to do. A few of the monsters seated around the seething skeleton actually started to edge away, silently praying that his rage was not directed at them.

Standing abruptly, Sans slammed his hands down on the bar top. The monsters around him flinched and pretended not to stare, busying themselves in their own drinks and conversations. _  
_

_How dare_ _Grillby?_ That was _his_ neighbor. _His_ human. _His (Y/N)._

How _dare_ he flirt with her!? How dare he act all sweet and kind and gentlemanly! How dare he try and get her drunk! Grillby was a smooth bastard, Sans would give him that, but he could have anybody, _anybody_ , he wanted, _just not her._

That was _his_ human, and anybody who tried anything was gonna have a **B A D T I M E**. 

The rest of the bar watching with bated breath, Sans walked the short distance down to where Grillby stood across from (Y/N), hands jammed into his sweater’s pockets and eyes blazing.

“Hey,” He tapped the monster in the seat next to (Y/N) on the shoulder and the poor rabbit nearly jumped out of his skin. “Mind if I sit here? Thanks.” The rabbit scampered off and Sans sat himself in the recently vacated bar stool, glaring at Grillby. The bartender turned and gazed back coolly, a challenge clear on his face.

Sans fought back a snarl, but a sneer still wormed its way onto his face. The message was clear. _Back off._

Grillby smirked and crossed his arms.

Curious at the sudden silence that had overtaken the bar, (Y/N) tilted her head over towards Sans, a glass of what appeared to be brandy or some other liquor paused halfway to her lips.

Sans’ mouth softened into a grin even as he shot the bartender a vicious glare before turning back to the young woman. “Hey sweetheart, fancy seeing you here.” Sans watched in delight as she flushed an even deeper shade, a surprised grin stretching across her features.

“S-Sans?” She set her glass down and smiled brightly. “Is that you?”

“You know it, hon.” Grinning victoriously, he shot a look at Grillby. The bartender was frowning slightly, but betrayed nothing else.

“It’s so great to see you again!” She rolled her eyes, chuckling. “Well, not that I can see you, but still!” She clasped her hands in her lap and turned so she was facing him completely.

Sans let out a little laugh. “Heh, you too kid.”

He glanced back up at Grillby, who shrugged. “I know when to leave when I’m not wanted. Sans?”

“Yeah?”

“Another bottle?”

“You know me, better make it two.”

The bartender nodded and moved off.

Sans let out a breath of relief, he really, _really_ didn’t want to get on bad terms with the other monster, especially over a woman, who knows what the outcome of a fight between the two of them could be. He’d let Grillby off the hook, the flame monster was his friend after all, but if anybody else tried flirting with (Y/N)…. Well, it wouldn’t be pretty.

~

You smiled as you grabbed another fry from the plate Grillby had brought you, dropping it under the counter for Sunflower to eat.

Sans paused in the middle of the joke he’d been telling you and was silent for a moment. You turned back over towards him as he spoke again. “Uh, that your dog?”

You grinned. “Yea. This is my little Sunflower.” You reached down and patted his head. “He’s my guide dog.”

“So he helps ya get around, huh?”

You nodded. And Sans hummed thoughtfully. “Then… why didntcha’ have him with you the first time I met ya?”

You grimaced ruefully. “He doesn’t do too well with really loud music… so I didn’t want to bring him to the club.”

“So you just went alone?” You could hear the disbelief in his voice and rolled your eyes again. You weren’t helpless or anything!

“No, my friends went with me.” You took another sip of your drink, feeling it burn before it disappeared halfway down your throat. Monster food was still going to take some getting used to.

“Hmm…” Sans took another gulp of whatever it was he was drinking. You weren’t sure what it was, but it smelled tangy and vaguely of… hotdogs? You giggled and pressed a hand to your mouth, feeling a little lightheaded.

“What’s so funny, kid?” You could hear the smile in his voice and you laughed again. If he was supposed to be a skeleton, how could he smile? 

“It… It smells like you’re drinking a hotdog,” You confessed, taking another sip of the whiskey as your cheeks burned.

Sans laughed, the sound rough and contagious. You chuckled as well, resting your head on the palm of your hand.

"It's mustard," Sans explained.

You wrinkled your nose. _Drinking_ mustard? That sounded disgusting, but you gave him the benefit of the doubt, laughing again and sticking out your tongue. “Hahaha…Ewwwww.”

“Hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, kid.” Sans took another sip of the condiment. You shook your head, taking another long draught of your own drink. “Different strokes for different folks, dude. I don’t think I could stomach it.”

A thought struck you and you giggled, wagging a finger towards him. “And you’re a skeleton… you shouldn’t _have_ the stomach for it.”

Sans gently grabbed your hand and chuckled as you flushed. You could hear the smirk in his voice as he replied. “ _Tibia_ honest sweetheart, it should _go right through me_ , but that’s just the magic of monster food.”

You covered your face with your free hand and groaned good-naturedly, but a few giggles still escaped you. Mortified, you felt your cheeks heat up even more. “You’re terrible,” You admonished, but you were laughing the whole while.

“Oh~ you like those, huh?”

“N-No,” You protested, fighting a losing battle with your smile.

“Ah, well I’ve got a _skele-ton_ more where they came from, I won’t _fibula_.”

You pulled your hand out of his cool grip to press both hands over your mouth as you shook with restrained laughter.  “O-okay, okay, I’ve got one,”

Sans chuckled. “Let’s hear it, sweetheart.”

“What is a skeleton’s favorite instrument?”

Sans made an ‘I don’t know’ noise, and you heard fabric rustling, so he must have shrugged. “Is it by chance a trom _bone?_ ” He snickered as he answered.

“That’s a good one,” You chortled, “I was thinking xylo _bone,_ but I think yours works better.”

“Ha, that’s somethin’ new,” he clapped you on the shoulder. “I’ll have to remember that.”

You smiled and hummed a ‘thank you’ around your mouthful of fries, covering your mouth as you chewed.

Sans still wasn’t done it seemed. “Hey, why did the skeleton stay out in the snow all night?”

You shrugged, smiling. “Why?”

“Hehehe, He was a _numbskull._ ”

You grinned and were about to reply when your phone started ringing in your pocket. “Oh!  Sorry, sorry, I should get that.”

“Nah, ’s fine.”

You smiled gratefully at the skeleton and pressed the phone to your ear. “Hello?”

The line stayed silent and you frowned. “Hello?” The empty static persisted and you shrugged, pulling the phone away from your ear. “Must be a wrong number call,” You mused as you hung up and set the phone down on the bar top. You turned back to Sans, an apologetic smile on your face. “Sorry about—”

The phone rang again and you scowled. “What the…”

Sans laughed a little. “Probably just a prank caller.”

You nodded. “Yeah.” But all the same, you couldn’t see the number calling you…. What if it was Carmen or Bea this time? “Oh, shoot. Hang on just a tick.”

You flipped open your phone again, a wary edge to your voice as you answered. “H-Hello?” The line was static-filled, again. “Hello?” Your voice was a little harsher this time. You could hear the blood rushing through your ears as you waited for a response. When none came, again, you sighed in annoyance. “I’m hanging up now."

“Wait!” A voice from the other end demanded and you froze.

“Hello?”

“(Y/N), listen, _don’t_ hang up the phone again. That’s an order.” You gulped, feeling lightheaded again. It was _him_.

“What the hell is all this nonsense I’m hearing?” He started yelling and you flinched. “About you and some shitty good-for-nothing monster?! The fuck is wrong with you?!”

You gulped again, feeling sweat trickle down the back of your neck. You’d blocked the last number your ex had tried contacting you with, but this…! Why wouldn’t he let up? “J.. J-Jasper, I-I—”

“J-J-Jasper!” He mocked, voice lowering. “You too good for me now? Or are you just accepting that you’re worthless and those fucking monsters are the only ones you’re fit to be around?”

You lip started trembling and you bit it. You weren’t about to cry, damn it!

“Woah, sweetheart,” Sans noticed your stricken face and placed a comforting arm across your shoulders. “What the hell is going on?”

“You can come crawling back to me,” Jasper continued, voice smug. “I’ll let you. You can be mine again and I’ll never hurt you…. C’mon, you’re better than those fuckers. Come back to me and I promise I’ll be good to you.”

“S-stop calling me,” You grit out, anger building as tears threatened to spill down your face.

“(Y/N)?” Concerned, Sans reached for your phone and you batted him away as Jasper cooed into your ear.

“C’mon, I’ll be good to you. I’ll even be nice to that shit dog of yours.”

Oh, hell no. Nobody dissed Sunny. Hands curling into claws around the phone, you hissed at your ex. “Leave my dog out of this, you fucker. If you call me again I swear to all things holy that I’ll—”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahaha, just try and guess what just happened!   
> It'll be first thing next chapter, but still.  
> And man, Jasper's such a dick, why did I write him this way? Ah well, there are some people we love to hate.


	8. Almost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has a nice little chat with Jasper, and slightly drunk shenanigans(ish?) follows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Jasper's a racist dick

Sans watched in confusion as (Y/N)’s face paled abruptly, sudden concern lancing through him. “Woah, sweetheart,” He reached out for her shoulders and pulled her in close, noting with some pleasure that she simply relaxed into his touch. “What the hell is going on?”

The voice on the other end of the line continued, the words were indistinct, but their impact was not. (Y/N)’s eyes started welling up and she bit her lip, trying not to cry.

Anger started to crawl back up from where he’d buried it earlier. Who the fuck was this, making her cry?

Her jaw clenched as she snapped into the phone, “S-stop calling me.”

She didn’t sound too good. Maybe he should have a little _chat_ with this human. “(Y/N)?” He reached out and grabbed her phone, but she grabbed his hand and pushed it away, looking panicked.

Anger growing, Sans scowled, watching her face twist up as the voice on the other end of the line said something else. Her eyes went wide, hands clenching into shaking fists.

“Leave my dog out of this, you fucker.” She hissed, voice so venomous it took him aback, only used to her soft tones and gentle words. Somebody who got her like this must have been a real piece of work.

Well that settled it. This fuck was gonna have a bad time.

“If you call me again I swear to all things holy that I’ll—”

Jaw clenched, Sans snatched the phone from her hold, feeling the casing bend under his death grip. “Wh-Sans!” Ignoring her indignant yelp, he pressed the phone to the side of his skull and let a low growl slip out.

(Y/N) shut up, hands coming together to play in her lap. The dog at her feet whined softly at him as he spoke into the phone.

“Who the fuck is this?”

A male voice scoffed and laughed mockingly. “What? (Y/N) too wimpy to make her own threats now?”

Sans sneered and leaned away as (Y/N) groped blindly for her phone, whisper shouting for him to give it back. He shook his head, not remembering she couldn’t see it.

The bastard on the other end of the line continued, “Ha! And she didn’t even tell you who she belongs to?” Sans jerked away from the phone like it was hot, disgusted. “This is Jasper, her boyfriend.”

“Dude, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but I do know this: **_S H E  D O E S N T  B E L O N G  T O  Y O U._** ”

Jasper was silent for a moment, and sans would’ve liked to imagine he’d pissed himself, but then he spoke again, voice softer but undaunted. “Who is this?”

“Name’s Sans. Sans the skeleton.”

“…So you’re a monster.”

Sans grinned, left eye flickering. “You bet I am. That ain’t a problem is it? ‘Cause I’d like to settle this like civilized people.”

“Sans,” (Y/N) cleared her throat, playing with her dog’s ears. “Maybe you can give…. The phone back… to me?” Her mouth wavered in a weak smile.

“You’re not even a person!” Jasper cackled, distain creeping into his voice. “(Y/N) sleeping with you? That how she’s gettin’ you to defend her? She a fuckin’ whore now?”

Sans’ smile fell into a chilling scowl. How dare this asshole talk about his (Y/N) like that? Thinking she would stoop to such levels. She was beautiful! She was like an angel! She wasn’t…. She could never…

“S-Sans?”

He pulled the phone away from his mouth and turned to the distressed woman, voice much more gentle that he felt. “In a minute sweetheart.”

He whirled back to the conversation on her phone, barely restraining himself from snapping the phone in two. “Listen up ya little shit.” His words were a low rumble and he hoped the human male got the message. “If you don’t stop harassing (Y/N), I swear to Asgore, I will fuckin’ find you, an’ you’ll have a **B A D T I M E**. You’re gonna treat her like the lady she is. You’re gonna leave her the fuck alone, or **_I will fucking destroy you...._ ** Capisce? **”**

. . . . .

As the line went dead Sans leaned back and placed the phone on the bar, a tight grin on his face. “Well I think that went well.”

“Ohhhh myyy Goooooooddd….” (Y/N) buried her face in her hands, mortified. Sans patted her on the shoulder, a thought from earlier nagging at him.

“He’s.... Not really your boyfriend, is he?”

She shook her head and dropped her hands. “Ex.”

His soul lifted.

Still looking like a kicked puppy, (Y/N) knocked back the rest of her drink, making a face as it went down.

Sans quirked a half-smile. “You good?”

She nodded slowly, corner of her mouth tugging downwards. “W…Why did you do that for me? You didn’t have to take his crap for me… N-not that I’m ungrateful, of course!”

She was cute when she was frazzled, Sans noticed, a tinge coming to his cheeks. He forced himself to look away, phalanges tracing invisible patterns on the bar top. “Course I had to,” he muttered. “You’re a lovely young lady… And he was treating you like crap.”

(Y/N) flushed and turned away, “T-Thanks, I’d… I’d return the compliment, but I have no idea what you look like.” She grinned slightly before she bit her lip, face falling. “But it-it wouldn’t be the first time Jasper’s…” Even her eyes, dim before, dulled as she trailed off.

His jaw clenched again, eyes narrowing. How many times had this bastard Jasper talked to her like that? _Hurt her?_

This would be the last time.

She was his human now, Sans wasn’t about to let some ass of a human talk down to her again. She was his.

~

Sans still hadn’t answered and your heart skipped a beat. Was he angry? At you? At Jasper?

Not for the first time you wondered what he looked like. Could he... Could he even look angry? The alcohol in your system was tingling, urging you to say something, _do_ something.

“If…” Sans cleared his throat, awkwardly patting your shoulder. “If he ever bother you again, uh, you can jus’ let me know, and I’ll get it sorted fer ya. Okay?”

You nodded slowly, tears pooling at the corners of your eyes, but you didn’t reach up to wipe them. “O-okay,” You smiled tearfully, gratitude and anxiety swirling in your chest. “Thank you Sans.”

“N-no problem sweetheart.” There was rustling and a tapping before he spoke again. “It’s okay if I put my number in your phone, right?” When you nodded, murmuring another thanks, the tapping resumed, and you realized he must be putting in his contact info.

“If you can,” You started off shyly, “Can you put yourself in as the 4th number on my speed dial?”

Sans chuckled, his laugh deep. “Sure. Though I didn’t think any of you humans used speed dial anymore. Now ya all have siri.”

You wanted to know how he laughed when he didn’t have lungs, the hazy part of your mind wanting to reach out and find him and figure out exactly how he worked, the logical part of your mind screaming for you to keep your hands to yourself.

So instead you played with your hands, keeping them down and out of trouble in your lap as you half grimaced, half grinned at the monster.  “You know, smartphones just don’t appeal to me. Not like I can play games or read texts.”

Sans hummed thoughtfully, and suddenly large, skeletal hands placed themselves over your own. You froze, pulse racing as his thumbs traced small circles on the backs of your hands. “Yeah, guess not…”

 _Oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit,_ his voice was so close and so deep it made you squeak involuntarily, face heating even more.

The noise of the bar faded into the background as Sans laughed at you, so deep it seemed to make the air itself vibrate. You almost shivered from the raw power held within that laugh, the more drunken part of your mind pointing out how attractive that was.

Woah, wait where did that come from? You just knew your face was on fire now.

 _Nope, nope, stop, what are you doing?!_ Internally screeching at yourself, you leaned forwards slightly, turning your hands so they could hold Sans’. You heard his breathing hitch as it fanned coolly on your face, your own lungs having momentarily stopped working.

“Woah! S-sweetheart, w-what’re ya doing?”

What were you doing? You paused as you thought for a second, alcohol influenced brain deciding it didn’t need logic anymore, screw that! You were gonna feel up this guy’s bones!

Well, probably just hands and skull, but still.

Also, you knew from experience that he was stronger than you, much so, in addition to being pretty damn scary when he wants to be. You nearly started crying yourself when he was talking to Jasper!

“C-can I…” You licked your dry lips, almost too afraid to ask him. Almost. You heard him gulp as you slid one hand up his forearm, fingers ghosting along the bones. “Can I touch your face?”

There was a pause. “What?”

You pouted, making your eyes big and aiming them as best you could up at his face. “I wanna get a look at you,” You lifted your other hand, reaching up towards his skull with cautious fingers. “Please?”

~

OH FUCK she was looking up towards him with big doe eyes, and her voice was breathy and she was asking for him, asking to _touch_ him.

Sans shivered, face flustered as she started reaching up, warmth racing through his bones.

Then: “ _Please?”_

The human, his (Y/N), was begging to touch him.

He couldn’t say no to this.

He almost lost it when her warm, warm hand cupped his cheek.

~

That was definitely a cheekbone under your hand, but it was different from the others you’d felt. There was no flesh covering Sans’ skull. Also, his cheekbone felt unnaturally round to you, and much bigger than any human’s.

Other hand coming up to mirror the other, you placed both hands on either side of his skull. It was wider too, than a humans’. The bone wasn’t smooth like you had expected, instead it was pockmarked and scarred in many places.

You frowned, wondering what kind of life he’d lived before. Carmen had said he was bad news, did he get into a lot of fights?

Hearing a sharp intake of breath as the pad of your index finger grazed a small crack made you wonder if his life had been hard, if he was aggressive and scary because of circumstances.

Mumbling an apology, your hands swept down again, brushing back over his cheeks and to… wait, that wasn’t right. His teeth were…?

Sharp.

Very sharp. They felt more like shark teeth, wide and long and oh holy mother, they were sharp. Sans let out a rumbling laugh at your shock.

“Not what you were expectin’ sweetheart?”  His voice was low and husky, sending a thrill through you. His usual nickname sounded different, sending butterflies spiraling through your stomach. Swallowing nervously, you shook your head, continuing your exploration.

One tooth felt different from the others, it was smoother and colder. Metal?

Your chest felt funny. Not just nerves and infatuation, it felt like someone had tied a string around you and was lightly tugging on it, pulling at _something_ inside your chest.

“Sans,” You whispered, fingertips trailing upwards, past his nasal bridge and lingering at the edge of impossibly large eye sockets.

Skeletal hands wrapped themselves around your shoulders, his cold touch seeping through the fabric of your shirt. “Hm?” He pulled you in closer, your heart thundering once more.

“I-I feel funny.”

W-were the two of you going to…?

You felt the vibrations as he spoke, voice distracted as he started leaning in. “Oh~ Good funny?” One of his hands flitted over your neck to your chin, eliciting a shiver from you as cold bones tilted your chin up.

“Just… weird... Like something’s…. pulling at my heart.” You shrugged, hazy mind filing it away for later as you leaned in.

You hummed impatiently as he stilled, hands releasing you to grip at your own hands, tugging them gently away from his eye sockets. “(Y/N),” His voice was suddenly stern and you blinked in surprise as he jerked back. “(Y/N), what did you just say?”

Confused, you tilted your head. “Something is pulling my heart?”

~

Horrified, Sans stared down at (Y/N).

Fuck.

He was a bad monster. He was a very, very bad monster. (Y/N) had no idea what she was doing to him. What she made him do.

She didn’t understand SOULS. He’d bet his gold tooth nobody had even explained the basics to her.

Fuck, she was even drunk! Not even in her right mind! And he’d been… he’d been establishing a connection between her SOUL and his, mostly unintentionally, but f-fuck!

When she’d looked up and started leaning in, beautifully soft hands tightening onto his own, Sans couldn’t help himself.

Shit, he was a very, very bad monster.

He’d started pulling at her SOUL without realizing it; _without her consent._

“F-fuck, (Y/N), I’m sorry.”

“What?” She shook her head, confusion and hurt written all over that pretty face. “No, Sans, I… I don’t understand. D-Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no, nonono,” he scooted away, looking for something to change the subject. “You’re prefect.”

Asgore’s beard she was an angel. An angel that almost kiss--

His eyelights landed on her phone. Bingo!

“Here,” he pushed the blocky flip-phone into her hands. “Don’t wanna forget your phone.”

The bar had mostly cleared out by then, but… He felt eyes burning a hole into the back of his skull.

Turning slightly, he saw Grillby watching him from the other end of the bar, gaze unwavering.

He knew.

Sans swore softly. Telling (Y/N) he’d be right back, he used a shortcut to appear on the empty seat in front of Grillby.

“Oh, Sans~ Don’t think I didn’t see what was going on over there,” Grillby purred, leaning on the bar top.

“It’s not what you think,” Sans hissed, hands clenching. If this somehow got back to Boss he was screwed. “It was an accident.”

“Right,” Grillby rolled his eyes. “All that talking, touching and _SOUL_ —”

“ **Keep your fucking voice down!** ”

The two glared at each other for a few moments before Grillby leaned back, propping his chin on his palm. “If you insist. But really? That was quite naughty of you Sans, getting her drunk and everything.”

Sans glowered at the bartender. “Hey! You’re the one who—Augh!” He whirled away, heading back down to (Y/N). “Just put everything on my tab.”

With Grillby chuckling an affirmative, Sans stopped next to his human.

“C’mon, I think you’ve had enough to drink.”

“I’m not drank,” She stopped and giggled, and sans couldn’t help but smile along. “Okay, maybe I am drunk.”

“Let’s get you home, swee--… Uh, kiddo.”

She frowned, but hopped down from her stool, wobbling as she did so. Sans reached out to steady her but pulled back, very aware of Grillby watching them with a smirk.

(Y/N) knelt and made a kissing noise at her dog, who opened its eyes slowly, head raising as it shook the slumber from its body. As she took its harness, (Y/N) pulled out a pair of sunglasses and slipped them on before shooting the skeleton a nod.

Only now daring to step in close, Sans instructed her to hold onto her dog for the shortcut. Remembering the last time, she laughed and did as he said, asking if this was going to be a group hug thing.

“Nah,” He smirked, placing an arm around her shoulders. “Just need to be touching.”

As they passed through the void, a little voice in the back of his head told him they’d be touching a lot more if he wasn’t such a coward.

He told it to shut the fuck up.


	9. On The Couch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans attempts to explain the deal with SOULS, and you get annoyed when he tries to dance around your lack of sight.  
> (Sexy?? idk probably not that sexy) Fluff ensues.

“Okay, my turn,” Sans laughed from his spot on (Y/N)’s couch. She was seated with legs crisscrossed on the cushions not a foot away, enraptured. “A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption.”

One side of her mouth crinkled up into a half-smirk. “Is this a joke or a tragedy?”

“Hush, I’m just getting’ started.” Sans cleared his throat (?).  “One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named ‘Ahmal.’ The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him ‘Juan.’ Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mom. When she gets the photo, she says to her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband replies, ‘They’re twins! If ya’ve seen _Juan_ , ya’ve seen _Ahmal’_!”

Her face wrinkled in confusion for a moment, cheeks still bright from the alcohol she’d drunken earlier, though she _had_ sobered up some; before her eyes widened and she honest-to-god snorted in laughter.

Sans beamed, nudging her with his elbow. “I’m pretty _punny,_ huh?”

(Y/N) bit her lip, looked angry for a minute, and tried not to laugh.

“Aw, did I not tickle your _funny-bone_?”

She opened her mouth to reply, but paused and gasped, face lighting up like a star. Leaning slowly over, she reached for the Lab-retriever mix curled up at her feet, trying not to smile. She failed, grinning ear to ear as she spoke, “Hey, I’m not going to _dog_ -nify that with a response.”

For a second Sans was quiet.

Then he started chortling, shoulders shaking as he laughed, clapping an arm around her shoulders and tugging (Y/N) in for a hug, still cackling like a madman. Jumping at the initial contact, (Y/N) squealed and grinned, face flushing.

When he could breathe again, the skeleton wheezed out a response. “T-That was so bad—Haha! That was great sweetheart!”

“Thanks,” She extracted herself carefully from his embrace, shyly turning away to hide her smile. “I thought it was just stupid enough to be funny.”

“Oh, no Hon, that was priceless! Hehehe…” Sans patted her shoulder, “Imma have to use that one on the Canine unit.”

(Y/N)’s face scrunched up, perplexed. “You work with the police? I thought you were a vice-ambassador or something.”

“Huh?” Sans was equally confused for a second. “Oh right, right, no, that’s… That’s a group of dog monsters that used to be in the royal guard in Snowdin. They hang out at Grillby’s a lot, sometimes I’ll join ‘em. I use’ta have a few _bones to pick_ with ‘em every now an’ again, but we get along pretty well up here.”

“Ah,” She nodded her head in understanding, side of her mouth quirking up at the pun.

A few moments passed in only slightly awkward silence, (Y/N) laying her head back on the couch. With her unable to catch him in the act, he was able to have a good long look at her.

Her eyes were tired, despite her not using them, but the slight smile on her face was genuine. Hands quietly playing in her lap, drew his attention, and he had the urge to reach out and hold them, like he’d done earlier at the bar.

But he couldn’t.

Not yet...

“So, uhm,” Sans started uneasily, “earlier today, at Grillby’s…” He hesitated as she tilted her head towards him again, eyes staring past his temple. “You…. You haven’t really hung out with a lot of monsters have you?”

She shook her head, corners of her mouth lifting in some secret amusement. “No, not really. That night at the club was my first time actually being around them… ‘n you…” (Y/N)’ hands came up to hide her embarrassment, muffling her words. “..re th.. first m….. I ever……et.”

Sans leaned forwards, raising a brow. “’M sorry, what was that last bit again?”

Her head jolted up, face burning. “YouwerethefirstmonsterIeveractuallymet!”

“Oh.” Sans sat back a bit, shame burning in his chest, and probably on his face too. “Well, guess I made a pretty bad first impression, then.”

“Oh, no, not at all!” She shook her hands frantically. “I actually thought you were really nice when you took me back… well, here,” She gestured to apartment, its walls notably blank “And I thought your brother seemed pretty decent too.”

Sans chuckled. “Well that’s good. He had some trouble with his attitude towards humans when we first came up like you wouldn’t believe… But, ah, getting’ back on track, you know monsters are pretty different from humans right?”

She nodded, paused, grinned sheepishly and shook her head. “Ahaha, um, no…. I never really… Well, there was this one story on the news about monster biology, but Jasper turned off the TV before I could really learn anything.”

His eyes narrowed; had she lived with Jasper? The way he’d spoken on the phone, and the way (Y/N)’s smile had tightened told Sans that it hadn’t been a great, or even good relationship.

He started thinking it over, even as he started to explain. “Well, monsters ain’t made of flesh and blood— not any ‘organic molecules’ ‘n stuff, unlike you squishy humans.” He poked at her side and earned a giggle in response, causing his scowl to lift. “Our physical bodies are mostly comprised of magic,” cue a skeptical eyebrow raise from (Y/N), “No, ‘m serious. We’re literally made outta magic, ‘n we use it pretty often. We just ‘teleported,’ or as I like to call it, shortcuted, into the hallway, y’know. _Magic_ ~”

She laughed. “Are you doing jazz hands? I don’t know why, but it _feels_ like you might be jazz handing.”

“N-no,” Sans dropped his hands and crossed his arms.

“You totally were!”

“I was not.”

(Y/N) gave him a look, half smiling, half scolding.

He sighed. “Alright, alright, maybe I did. Forgot ya couldn’t see ‘em.”

“It’s fine. So apart from being made of magic…?”

“Well part of being made mostly of magic means us monsters are more in tune with our SOULS then humans are.”

She leaned forwards curiously. “Souls?”

“Yeah, SOULS are… your feelings, hopes and dreams… SOULS are the very essence of your being. A few humans I’ve talked to have likened ‘em to how you feel emotions in your heart.” At her nod, he continued. “Monster SOULS are different from human SOULS too. Humans can have one of 7 traits. Justice, Patience, Kindness, Bravery, Integrity, Perseverance, and Determination…. There are colors that rela… Um…”

Sans trailed off, uncomfortable.

“Sorry.”

“For what?” She looked confused for a moment, before it hit her.

“Oh, the colors. No, I…. Heh,” She smiled a little, shaking her head. “I know what colors are.”

“Y… You do, huh?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t born blind,” She traced the faded scar on her temple. “There was… a car accident. When I was 9. This,” She tapped the raised line with a pinkie, “Is from all the glass. My right arm was broken, I fractured a couple of ribs, and I…” She sighed. “I completely lost vision in both of my eyes.”

(Y/N)’s smile turned bitter, and her hands started to shake.  “The driver that hit us wasn’t even drunk… He ruined, _ruined,_ my life! And crippled my friend’s mom, and—and! Gah! J-just because he didn’t want to be late for a football game! A fucking football game!!”

“A football game…” She repeated softer. “ _He ruined my life for a football game_.”

“Oh,” Chest tightening, Sans reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorr—”

She turned to him, anger and distress crinkling her eyes. “Please don’t apologize. I get the sympathy card all the time, from the kids I work with, from my teachers, my boss…” Sighing, the fight left her and she deflated on the couch.

“I don’t need it from you too.”

The hug that followed took Sans by surprise, but he was no less enthused by it. Leaning back against the cushions, he held the human in his arms tightly, rubbing small circles on her back.

(Y/N)’s rested on his shoulder, warm breath spreading over his vertebrae. “I really like you.”

His SOUL jumped and he squeezed her tighter. “Wh-huh?” Was his genius reply.

~

When you leaned in for a hug, you felt Sans’ breathing hitch before her relaxed and let himself be held, arms slowly coming up to hug you back. At first cautiously, but then more boldly, he started to draw circles on your back.

Your head on his shoulder, or at least his collar bone (without muscle and skin, it was a little had to tell), you sighed.

Out of everybody you knew, he should at least know how it felt to be treated differently. He probably had to deal with racist pricks all the time in the ambassador’s office.

Shouldn’t monsters understand the need to be treated just like everybody else?

“I really like you,” _and I don’t want you to treat me like I’m made of glass,_ went unspoken.

You could feel a tremor sweep through him, hold tightening. “Wh-huh?”

“Sure, I’ve only known you for like two weeks,” you mumbled, burying your face in the hollow between his shoulder and neck. His bones weren’t cold like you’d been expecting. In fact they were almost warm, and growing warmer, almost like how sunlight felt.

“Uh, Sweetheart?” Sans’ voice was an unearthly rumble that sent butterflies careening wildly through your stomach.

Still, you continued on. “And I know I don’t know you all that well, but you’ve done a lot for me.”

“I don’t think—” You placed a gentle hand over his mouth. Well, mostly over his mouth, but he quieted anyways.

“Shh,” You whispered, letting your fingers trail along his chin as your hand dropped back down.

Sans took in a shuddering breath and you mentally slapped yourself for how sensual that must have seemed before starting over, and you were most definitely NOT thinking about how you almost kissed earlier. Nope, you were not thinking about it at all.

“Y-you’ve done a lot for me, you’ve taken me home twice now,” _No! Bad (Y/N), not in a sexual way! Very bad (Y/N)!_ “You pretty much bought me dinner, you even dealt with Jasper for me!”

“I, uh,” Sans cleared his throat (?) Or however that worked with skeleton monster, “’M just bein’ a decent person…”

You shifted so you were facing up towards him. “And I’m grateful for it. But I’m not made of glass.”

Your smile turned nervous. “A-and I was—well, I was wondering, if you keep doing these things for me…” Your voice shrank into a whisper. “How am I gonna m-make it up to you…”

There was a pause, the silence stretching the moment out farther than it should have been.

The hold around your shoulders shifted, becoming almost uncomfortably tight, and a chuckle permeated the air.

Sans’ chest started shaking as he laughed, and your heart skipped a beat at the rich darkness in his voice.

“H-hey, what’s so fun—” You tried to edge out the embrace, and maybe berate the skeleton for mocking you, but your words turned into a squeal as Sans _lifted_ you up off the couch for a moment before settling you back on the plush cushions.

“Really?” You huffed, pushing him away.

For a second Sans complied, his laughter dying down as he released your torso. Face burning, you heard what could only be described as a low-growl or purr emanating from the monster; before with a single, solid push, you were knocked back from your sitting position.

Heart in your throat, you could only blink up at Sans, feeling the cushion beneath your head sink downwards as what you assumed were his hands pressed down into the sofa on either side of your head, pinning you there.

“W-what are y-you doing?!” You squeaked, breath hitching as you felt him shift over you.

Smooth bone brushed your ear as he moved slightly, your brain sluggishly starting to realize the situation. Your hands came up instinctively, meeting the lines of his ribs just above your own.

“Just… taking a bit from your debt,” His voice was very close, just above your face, and _fuck_ it was _sexy_ , low and rumbling.

Pulse pounding, you swallowed dryly, barely keeping the panic down, because holy guacamole this was happening, and on some level, you didn’t really mind it.

Tags clinking, Sunflower sat up and let out a soft warning growl from beside you.

“Ah, calm down,” His voice was aimed out at the canine, and not you, and he chuckled again, lifting one hand and brushing the hair back from your forehead.

“I ain’t gonna do nothin'  _bad._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, Yay! Sexy times! (Not that I can write sexy that well, but still)  
> Let me know what you think!


	10. Rue The Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I ain't gonna do nothin' bad."  
> And then he was kissing her, phalanges running through her hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'M SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE
> 
> you have nevER KNOWN TRUE TERROR UNTIL YOU ACCIDENTALLY POST A CHAPTER THAT IS NOT COMPLETED AND HAVE TO DELETE IT SO YOU CAN SAVE THE STORY FROM BEING SPOILED

A couple of days ago, (Y/N) had been singing as usual, with Sans listening in again. As usual. But the songs that morning, they were not the usual fare. She usually sang classic and alternative rock, Disney songs, pop, and the infrequent rap or even opera. But the songs were all clean, aside from the occasional expletive or innuendo.

She, still unaware of him as her neighbor, had a few interesting choices…. It had started out innocently enough at first, her singing a song he was very familiar with, due to Frisk screaming—er, singing, along to it whenever it came on the radio.

(Y/N)’s voice was warbling on the chorus of ‘Halleluiah’s, dipping down and rising back up and slowly fading out before the next song had started, and the images it conjured in Sans’ head were, shall we say, not G rated.

“My lover’s got humor,” Floated through the wall, “She’s the giggle at a funeral. Knows everybody’s disapproval; I should’ve worshiped her sooner. If the heavens ever did speak, she’s the last true mouthpiece.”

_True,_ thought Sans, _But stars!_ He had run a hand over his face, perspiration beading on his skull. He knew this song too. He knew where it was going.

Torn between leaving before it got any better, and staying to hear the rest pour out sweetly from her pretty lips, Sans had slumped and buried his skull in his hands, while she still sang: ignorant of the monster on the other side of the wall.

“My church offers no absolutes, she tells me ‘worship in the bedroom’,” And oh, crap there it was. “The only heaven I’ll be sent to… Is when I’m alone with you.” 

Warmth had flushed his face and swept through his bones then as it did now.

“ _I was born sick,”_

Oh, he was definitely sick, Sans decided as he pinned her down, watching her eyes go wide. They almost met his, and for a second, he thought she was looking straight _at_ him.

_“But I love it.”_

And he did love it, the way she got flustered and her pulse started racing. His own magic had rushed through him and he sucked in a breath, because dammit he’d been pinning after her for two months now, and here she was, practically squirming beneath him.

“W-what are y-you doing?” She peeped, her hands coming up suddenly to touch lightly against his upper ribs, not pushing him away, he realized, but a barrier. Sure, it wasn’t going to stop him if he even put a smidgen of strength to it, but he hesitated all the same, even as that touch felt like electricity straight to his core.

If she said no, if she pushed him away…..

Sans shifted nervously, eyeing the human. She was scared, but unsure. Curiosity, and still no condemnation colored her face.

_Besides_ , he thought, _She started it._

Confidence flowed back into him, seeping into his words. “Just… taking a bit from your debt.”

He wasn’t imagining the sudden redness of her face, or the way her pulse jumped again, in… excitement?

A predatorial grin grew on his skull as he looked over (Y/N) again.

So small. So vulnerable.

He could feel his magic gathering behind his teeth, forming into a tongue.

Yet before he could make a move, the dog laying at the foot of the couch raised its head and began to growl at him, lips pulling back to reveal long canines.

Annoyance pulled his mouth into a scowl as he glanced over at the dog, Sunny, (Y/N), called him. “Ah, calm down,” He glanced down at (Y/N) and smoothed her hair out of her face. She was so warm against his bones.

Sans closed the already small distance between them, letting his voice drop even more.

“I ain’t gonna do nothin’ _bad._ ”

(Y/N) shivered, eyes wide.

Then he was kissing her— ** _K I S S I N G HER!_** — teeth pressed firmly against her mouth, which parted in shock against his. Distinctly gentler the last few kisses Sans had shared, he nipped at her lips, phalanges carding through her hair to cup the back of her head and bring her deeper into the kiss.

She inhaled sharply and tensed as the sharp ends of his digits scraped her scalp; but after a moment (Y/N) relaxed, hands curling themselves into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him down further and herself slightly up towards him.

~

This was happening.

Sans was kissing you—You were kissing him!

H-how was this even possible?

You stifled another gasp and pulled Sans closer as his mouth moved against yours, sharp teeth catching your lips.

This was okay, wasn’t it?

You liked this kiss, as strange as it was, flesh to bone… but was this okay?

A soft tingle swept over your lips. You let out a little squeak at the pins-and-needles feeling, hands bunching in the fabric of Sans’ shirt. Was that a… Did Sans have a tongue?

With a flash of panic, you pulled away. “Wait, wait…”

“What?” His groan of disappointment tapered off into confusion. “What’s wrong?” The hand cradling your head trailed back to brush your cheek.

You let out an ‘eep’ at the intimacy and pushed Sans back. No, this was not okay. You couldn’t do this. “I’m sorry, I... I can’t do this.”

You scrambled back into a sitting position, cheeks hot. “I can’t do this,” you mumbled again, pressing a hand to your lips.

“What’s wrong?” A skeletal hand touched your shoulder hesitantly.

“I’m sorry—” “For what?” The warm chuckle in his voice just made you feel worse. “I thought that was pretty good.”

A sad excuse for a smile wormed its way onto your face. “I really _do_ like you, Sans, but… I-I can’t do this. With you. R-right now I mean!” You rushed to clarify, guilt weighing heavily in your chest. “And that kiss was, really, _really_ nice, Iprobablyhaven’tbeenkissedlikethatinsixmonths—But I… I can’t do this right now. I’m really confused, and—”

“I get it.” His voice was hurt. You winced. There was a rustle and the couch cushions lifted as he stood. “You don’t want to be with somebody like me. _A monster_.”

Your heart dropped and you stood as well, racing to clear the air. “No! Not at all! I don’t care _what_ you are. I really do like you Sans, but—”

“Save it,” Sans sighed, a growl back in his words. “It’s what I get for likin’ a damn human.”

“No, wait, _Sans_!” You reached out but found nothing but empty air.

Arms outstretched, you stepped around Sunflower, who bumped his nose gently into your leg. Where did he go? “Sans?” There was no sound or movement from the room around you, and you hadn’t heard him walk away.

Realizing he must have used his magic teleporting trick, you sank back down onto the couch, sighing ruefully. “I fucked up….”

You lifted your head and spoke aloud to the empty apartment. “That’s not what I…"

Sunflower’s nails clicked on the wood as he trotted back to sit by your feet, laying his head on your knees. “You’re a good dog,” You assured him, scratching behind his ear. “Me on the other hand…” _I just wish I didn’t have foot-in-mouth disorder._

You grimaced and pulled out your phone; you could still fix this.

The ring tone started to sound as you pressed the phone to your ear. As you waited, you kept petting Sunny, finding comfort in the familiarity.

Through the wall you shared with your single neighbor, a muffled ringing made its way through. Curious about the odd coincidence, you shifted the phone to your other ear and tilted your head to hear better.

_“Shit!”_ The curse, muffled by the wall as well, still reached your sensitive ears. That was definitely Sans’ voice.

The other phone’s ringing was cut off, just in time for a busy signal to buzz insistently in your other ear. Following closely being was the automatic answering machine response, but the phone had already slipped from your hand.

‘ _The number you have called is not available. If you would like to leave a message….’_

Crossing the room swiftly, you pressed your ear to the cool stucco separating the two apartments, biting your lip. You knocked twice on the wall, still shocked. “Hello? ... Sans, are… Are you there?”

For a long moment, you though he might actually reply.

_But no one came._

_~_

Your Dad had told you to never go to bed upset or angry, it only made things harder to fix.

Granted, he’d been talking about how he and your Mom stayed in a healthy and happy relationship, but you were sure it had other practical uses in life… Unlike now as you laid in bed, completely overthinking how you could have fixed your conversation with Sans earlier.

Your friend, Sans. Your neighbor. Your NEXT DOOR neighbor.

It was still boggling, He’d been your next-door neighbor for months, and you’d never met him until that night outside the club.

And _oH GOD NO!_ You buried your face into the pillow with a groan, He had probably heard you singing in the shower the whole time! All the cheesy love songs, the dark and dramatic Broadway numbers—All of it!

Why hadn’t he told you he lived next door when he walked you up to your apartment?!

None of this was making sense!  

A few frustrated tears wormed their way out of your eyes and you swiped them away hastily. Why did you feel like this? Why did you feel so bad?

Yeah, Sans had been nice, he was funny, he’d bought you dinner… He was even trying to explain the deal about monster vs human SOULs to you. He’d put up with your emotional-ness (what a hot-mess you were, right?). And he’d… kissed you.

You touched your lips lightly, heat blooming on your face once again. He’d kissed you so tenderly, although you still weren’t sure how, you felt lightheaded just thinking about it.

But of course, you just had to push him away... the faint smile you’d gained faded just as quickly.

You wanted to keep kissing him, but you’d gotten scared. The tugging feeling in your heart had come back, and without the alcohol from earlier clouding your judgment, it terrified you and you’d pulled away.

You hadn’t felt like that with anybody before you met Sans, and it honestly scared you.

All that unfinished talk of SOULs kept lingering at the back of your mind.

You had to figure this out and talk to Sans before he decided he didn’t wanna bother with you anymore.

For some reason, you didn’t want—no, you needed him to not ghost you.

And if you didn’t work things out between you two, you were sure you’d rue the day you’d messed up whatever it was you had with Sans… forever.

~

There was a heavy _wham_ as young man slammed a handful of cash down on the wooden counter, making the old lumber groan ominously into the dim shop.

“Easy there, boy,” A middle aged woman drawled lazily, flicking the ash from the end of her cigarette. “This here’s an antique.”

“Cut the crap, Lin.” The man stood back to his full height. “We all know you swiped this old piece of crap from the dump.”

Lin grinned up at him from the other side of the counter. “True enough. Now what brings you here, with…” She pulled the wad of cash closer and let out a whistle. “That is a _lot_ of twenties, son. Shoot, wat’chu want?” She gestured to the display cases around them. “I got jewelry, weapons, n’…”

She paused, smirking wickedly. “If you want, I got some of the _good stuff_ in the back. This’ll probably get you a good sized bag.”

The man scoffed and shook his head, fiery hair catching the pawn shop’s weak lights. “I don’t want your fucking drugs, Lin. I want information.”

Lin raised a brow. “On what, kid? Can’t guarantee I’ll have any.”

“A monster. Named Sans. I hear he’s a skeleton.”

“Why the hell you come to me for that?”

“Everybody knows your people are the ones to go to when it comes to dealing with those unnatural freaks.” He paused. “I want everything you’ve got on him, and keep it quiet. _Nobody_ knows I’m the one askin’ around about this guy except you, got it?”

Lin cackled, tucking the money into her shirt as the man spun on his heel. “Got it. You sure know how to work a deal, Jasper. I’ll call when I’ve got the info.”

“You do that.”

The door slammed harshly behind him, sending the bell hanging from it into a frenzy of clanging.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Take Me to Church' Belongs to Hozier
> 
> SORRY NOT SORRY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE KISSING SCENE. HATE ME ALL YOU LIKE ITS FOR THE GOOD OF THE PLOT-LINE.  
> AND AHAHAHAHA!!!! JASPER RETURNS!
> 
> If I ever fail to update for a month again, just assume I'm dead x_x  
> and be amazed when and if I post another update~~~~~~


	11. It's a Date!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is mopey, and you try to get your mind off the disaster that happened last night. (Spoiler alert, it doesn't really work)
> 
>  
> 
> WARNINGS: Heavy swearing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm Back!!  
> Alive and well but very stressed out!

The apartment next door was uncomfortably silent the next morning. While (Y/N) would usually talk to her dog as she got ready for the day, voice just barely audible through the wall, no such sounds could be heard from her apartment.

It was too quiet. She didn’t even shower, let alone sing, and Sans wasn’t sure if it was better that she hadn’t.

Now she knew that he lived next door—she’d heard him through the wall, he was so screwed—which meant that she knew he could hear her whenever she was in her bathroom.

 _She probably thinks I’m a pervert now_ , he moped, sinking deeper into the laundry covered armchair. _A stupid, creepy, ugly, perverted monster._

 _She doesn’t want anything to do with you,_ that little voice in the back of his mind cackled. _Especially now, she’s disgusted by you even more. Not that you ever had a chance to begin with but now… there’s not a snowball’s chance in Hotland that she’ll ever like you._

He sighed, rubbing his cheekbones—wait what the?! He wasn’t crying! No way, he was definitely not crying over this _human_. She’d just been a rarity, a-a distraction! Yeah that’s it, she’d just been something new that caught his eye—er, nonexistent ear. Sans wasn’t upset, not at all!

Except for that achy feeling in his SOUL, but hey, it could be anything for all he knew! Could be he just missed Paps, even with as much as his little brother could be a jerk at times.

It _had_ been strange living apart from the other skeleton, though he could pop in any time he wanted, and they still saw each other at the ambassador’s office every day.

But Papyrus had insisted that Sans exhibit _some_ responsibility after a year on the surface, so here he was: living in his own apartment; paying his own bills (Asgore’s Beard, how did Paps do this month after month!?); cleaning up his own messes (the horror!); and mooning after a god dammed human, not to mention the object of his affections was blind and wouldn’t ever lov— ** _wait._**

That wasn’t true, (Y/N)’d—(Y/N) had kissed him back!

She’d poured out her life story and kissed him.

 _She kissed him back,_ which meant she _didn’t_ find him disgusting and—!!

He _did_ have a chance!

Sans bolted to his feet, nearly upending the armchair in his haste and scrambled to the kitchen, crashing into chairs and the counter as he slid to a stop on the tile. Short-winded, he ripped his phone from the charger and tapped the on button furiously. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, _c’mon!!_ ”

With a cheerful blip it turned on and he breathed a sigh of relief—He’d been worried it wouldn’t turn on again after he’d, uh, ‘accidentally’ shortcutted to the bathroom and ‘accidentally’ dropped it in the toilet to shut it up after (Y/N) had called. . . . . . Okay, so _maybe_ he had panicked when the phone went off.

Phalanges hovering over the screen, Sans blinked. If he called her, what would he even say?

‘ _Sorry I stormed off like a jerk last night, I just assumed you were racist’_?!? That’d never work, she’d just get upset again.

He ground his teeth, wracking his brain. It’d been hard enough hearing her knock on the wall between them and _talk_ to him after she heard his phone go off. It was hard enough knowing that she had discovered that he was her neighbor now. How much was it gonna fuckin’ destroy him to know she was there with the wall and this awkwardness between them?!

Dropping the phone back on the counter, he growled, running a hand over his skull. How could this work? He _knew_ he could make it work… But how?

Paps had always been better with the ladies, well, better with appreciating them at least. And sure, Sans could wine m’ dine ‘em if he wanted, but this wasn’t like the other times.

(Y/N) wasn’t like the other women he’d… been involved with.

She wasn’t someone he could just toy with, or only give one night to (although he did get a little, erm, _heated_ at the thought of spending the night with her). He actually wanted to _know_ her; there was emotional attachment—and God knows he didn’t want to deal with all the emotional stuff.

Still…

He snatched his phone back off the counter and sank into a kitchen chair, cheekbones glowing.

Time to stop being a pansy.

~

You’d gotten up earlier than usual, despite the remnants of the monster alcohol from the night before making your head swim.

You’d even forgone your usual morning rinse, afraid the noise would wake… your neighbor.

As you were locking the door behind you, Sunny had practically pulled your arm off trying to bolt down the hallway. Odd, cause he’d never done so before, but you’d shrugged it off and chalked it up to animals having a sixth sense. He probably could feel the awkwardness already forming between your two apartments.

You leaned your forehead against the glass of the window with a sigh. Pressed against your legs, Sunflower whined to be heard above the rumble of the bus and the noise of the other passengers. “Good dog,” You patted his head, reaching to scratch the fur beneath his collar. “You’re a sweetie.”

You sat in silence for another moment or two before a timid voice broke through your melancholy.

“E-excuse me? Can I pet your dog?”

You turned towards the speaker, a child, judging from the voice, and smiled softly. “Yeah, sure. Sunny’s a very friendly dog.”

“Ah! Thank you!” A rustle of fabric followed, closer to your face than you’d’ve liked. Shying back a little, you listened to the kid ‘ooh’-ing  and ‘aah’-ing as they petted your dog.

The little shrill of laughter after what could have only been Sunny attempting (and most likely succeeding) to lick their face set a pang of loneliness through you.

In a _genius_ moment of memory correlation, you remembered the previous night and the hurt that you’d felt when Sans had just up and left. If he’d stayed a little longer. . . If you’d gotten him to finish explaining souls, or as he said it—SOULS. . . What would’ve happened?

The corner of your mouth twitched up and you had to duck your head to hide the embarrassment on your face—well, you knew _what_ would’ve happened next.

But what then? What after? Were you just a fuck to Sans? _Good God, you were even drunk when he started coming on to you!_ . . . But. . . You were neighbors, you were. . . friends—or at least you hoped so.

Once you’d reached your stop downtown, you’d worked yourself into a miserable mood, each minor inconvenience only adding further to your bad mood, like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Only these weren’t straws, they felt more like giant logs crushing your spirit and pushing you further down into the quicksand of frustration.

You couldn’t even see the puddles you kept sinking into, and the squelching of wet socks was just making everything about a thousand times worse.

But on the—dimmer than you would have liked—brightside, you were almost to your destination: the Ebott University Campus. It might have been summer, and you were finished with your finals (thank heaven), but you still had to turn in the final evaluation that Mrs. Sorgwe, the teacher you assisted during the school year, had written on your work with her.

Knowing the campus like the back of your hand, you quickly found your way to the office of the Head of the Education Department. Exchanging pleasantries and the occasional bit of gossip with other students still at the University lifted your mood bit by bit, until you were almost smiling again as you hauled open the office door.

“Look who it is!” Trilled Ms. Georgia, the Head’s assistant, her desk chair creaking as she rose and tottered across the room to pull you into a bone-crushing hug. “Little Ms. (Y/N)! How’s life on the outside?”

You eeked but couldn’t do much else but pat her on the back as the embrace continued. “Ms. Georgia, I can’t--! Breathe!”

“Oh, so sorry dear,” she tittered, releasing you and stepping back. And if the jingle of Sunny’s tags was any indication, she was giving him some well-deserved stratchies. Sunflower’s tail bumped against your legs in a happy rhythm as she continued. “And it’s actually Mrs. Stark now—or soon will be anyways!”

You couldn’t keep the goofy smile off of your face, “Patrick finally proposed to you?!”

She squealed and you somehow knew she was practically vibrating with excitement. “Ooh, I know, hon, I know! Oh, I wish I could show you the ring…”

Your smile froze for a second before you shook it off. “I’m sure it’s lovely… may I?” You held out your hand an after a moment she placed her own in yours. You could feel the thin band of metal around her ring-finger, warmed by her own body-heat. “Silver?”

“Gold,” She corrected you, and you nodded.

“Ah, I see. Well, not really, but you get it.”

The diamonds, at least you thought you could feel more than one stone, had sharp edges, and felt unnaturally smooth underneath your fingers. You let her hand drop with a smile. “Congratulations, _Mrs._ _Stark._ When’s the wedding?”

“August 9th,” She sighed dreamily, “And then off to Italy, and Spain…” She sighed again and you rolled your eyes fondly.

“Well I hate to interrupt this fantasy, but I’ve got one last evaluation to turn in.”

The soon-to-be Mrs. Stark gasped. “Of course! I’m so sorry, I’ll get that in right away!”

As she scampered off with the paper, you couldn’t help but dwell on your thoughts from earlier. _Could_ it be possible to have a future with Sans? What on earth would your parents think? Could he even want to spend his time, his life, with some blind girl he’d only met twice and kissed once?

You knew _you_ wouldn’t mind trying to actually get to know Sans, maybe even go on a couple of dates…

You heaved a restless sigh.

Who knew if Sans would even give you the time of the day now.

~

A rather tall young man leaned against the street lamp on a busy downtown corner, preoccupied with checking the messages on his phone. A dark grey hoodie hid his distinctive red hair from passerby, and his phone was just a ruse for his surveillance of the street.

Letting the crowds pass around him, Jasper stood patiently, a virtue he rarely possessed. But today was different: he was waiting for his quarry.

She’d slipped away from him earlier when she entered the Ebott University campus grounds—too many prying eyes for his taste—but (Y/N) couldn’t avoid him for long.

Especially now, what the fuck did she think she was doing? Hooking up with some monster?

He may have spoken harshly to her, but it was all for her own good. Didn’t she get that he was only trying to knock some sense into her? She should have come running back to him by now, she always had… but she’d never stayed away longer than a month before, and it was now verging on five since she’d broken up with him.

Jasper grit his teeth, feeling the blood rush to his head. _Stupid little bitch, who the hell does she think she is? She’s fucking worthless. At least with me she could mean something,_ be _somebody._

A flash of purple caught his attention—the same shade of purple (Y/N)’s favorite raincoat was. He turned his head swiftly to find that his wayward prey had just crossed through the campus’ gates, and a triumphant leer wormed its way across his face.

Pushing off the streetlight, Jasper started down the road, parallel to the blind girl and her dog. From the other side of the street, they wouldn’t notice him coming until it was too late.

~

You hadn’t gotten 10 feet from the Campus when you felt your phone start to buzz in your pocket. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, you gently tugged Sunflower to the building-side edge of the sidewalk, mindful of the morning foot-traffic.

You pulled the phone from your pocket and flipped it open, pressing it to your ear. “Hello?”

“H-hey, (Y/N).”

Your heart skipped a beat and you had to take a moment to compose yourself.

“Hey yourself,” You had to bite your lip to keep from grinning like an idiot. Sans had called _you!_ There was a moment of silence before you had to muffle nervous laughter. “Sorry, I… I don’t really know what to say.”

“Oh, well, ah, that’s good,” He sounded unsure of himself, but his voice was still sending butterflies through your stomach. “’Cause I do, and—Asgore, this is torture.” He cut himself off for a moment, and you could hear a shaky breath through the line.

“Look, I… I acted like a real jerk last night, a-and I was hoping I could make it up to you? Say, maybe like a date or somethin’?”

“I’d like that,” You confessed into the phone, heart fluttering. “I’d love it actually!”

“Really?!” He sounded elated, almost as much as you felt at that moment.

You rushed to answer with a hurried, “Yes!” Embarrassed some pedestrians might be leery of your outburst, you flushed and lowered your voice. “Yes, I’d love to go on a date with you.”

There was a relieved laugh over the line. “Great, how does 7 tonight at _Mett’s_ sound?”

You’d never heard of the place, but who cared? It was a date!! With Sans! “It sounds perfect!” You almost felt like Ms. Georgia raving about her wedding. “Thank you for giving me another chance, Sans.”

“Wh...what? Sweetheart, that’s my line.”

“O-oh…” You flushed again, all the way to the tips of your ears. “Sorry.”

Sans’ laugh rumbled over the phone again, and you couldn’t stop the smile stretching across your face. “Don’t apologize so much, sweetheart.” He mock-chastised you, the laughter still in his voice.

 “I’ll see ya at 7.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know exactly what you're thinking.... Jasper's a douche. (And he deserves to die, blah blah blah, I get it, you all want him castrated)


	12. All Dolled Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Build up to date, and more plot happens! Cute Fluff!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Lord its been THREE FRICKIN MONTHS since i updated....................... im so sorry.  
> But--MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! This is my gift to you!

“C’mon, pick up,” you hissed, pacing the carpet in front of your closet. You tilted your head to squeeze the phone between your shoulder and ear, freeing up your hands to continue pulling clothes out of the closet.

You had no idea what on earth to wear—heck, you still weren’t even sure how fancy this _Mett’s_ place was supposed to be—so you were calling the go to woman when it came to the social scene: Carmen.

When it came to the nightlife, she was your lifeline, even if it pertained to monsters, because you weren’t about to embarrass yourself with Sans again by being a total ignoramus about the monster restaurant scene.

The phone made it through half of another ring before the line crackled to life—much to your relief—Carmen yawning something that sounded vaguely like ‘good morning,’ but could have very well been ‘sail mooring’ for all you could make out. 

Your nose crinkled up as you suppressed a bewildered chuckle. “It’s almost 1 in the afternoon! What are you still doing in bed?!”

Carmen groaned, the faint creaking of bedsprings seeping through the speaker, and you pictured her sitting up. “So?”

“So I kinda—well, actually, I really, _really_ need your help.”

There was a pause. “With…?”

You gulped down a huge breath of air, face flushing; then proceeded the gush as quietly as you could into the speaker of the phone “Sans asked me out on a date, _tonight_!! Its at some fancy sounding place I’ve never heard of before called _Mett’s_ , so I’m pretty sure it’s a monster establishment, and I have no flippin’ idea what to wear! And I feel really excited!!—but also really awkward, cause _HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL_ , this is my first date since I broke up with Jasper, and even _longer_ since I’ve been on an actual date!!!” You managed to eke out the last bit through collapsing lungs, the words squeaking.

Taking a quick moment to remember how to breathe, you straightened from the hunched position you’d shrunk into. “--And that’s why I _need_ your help!”

“ _YESSSS!!!_ ” Carmen crowed triumphantly, and there was a flurry of commotion from the line as she gushed. “I knew it!! _I fuckin’ knew it!_ I told you that you had it in you! Aw, my little (Y/N) all grown up and seducing men~”

“I’m not seducing anybody,” You laughed a protest, “And I’m three months older than you!”

“Who cares?! And don’t go anywhere, I’m coming over!”

“What?” You plopped down on the bed, making the box-springs creak dangerously. “I just need advice, not a makeover.”

“Ohoho…. You _do_ need one. _I'_ ve never been to _Mett’s_ , ‘cause that place is freakin’ exclusive. It is _swanky_ with a capital ‘S,’ hun. We gotta get you dolled up.”

You grimaced, ruefully thinking about the uncomfortable heels buried somewhere in the bottom of your closet. “…How dolled up?”

“Think royal ball, but like, taken down a notch.”

“Ooh Lord,” You groaned, lips parting in a wobbly frown. You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed. “This isn’t a dog-friendly place, is it?”

Carmen hummed thoughtfully. “Well, technically, it’d be illegal for them not to let your bring in Sunflower, with the Disabilities’ Act n’ all, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Labrador-fur and fancy dresses don’t mix too well, you know that.”

“Yeah, I guess not. Remember that one New Year’s party?” You smiled at the memory as Carmen groaned good-naturedly.

“Don’t even talk about that! I am _still_ smoothing things over with my Abuela!”

You laughed, standing and walking back to the closet. “Besides, I don’t think I have a dress for something that fancy…”

There was a pause before a sound like snapping-fingers came through the line. "Oh, Hey! Do you still have that dress from that Awards Ceremony at the University?”

“Oh! Uh, lemme check…” You ran your hand over the line of hangers, stopping on a patch of starched tulle. Pulling out the satiny dress, you chirped a reply to your friend. “Ay, I found it!”

“Yay! Now stay put, I’ll be over in a jiffy, we’ll have to find some nice jewelry to match. Byyeee!”

You grinned. Carmen’s excitement was contagious. “Bye~!” You pulled the phone down from your ear, and tossed it towards the bed. Satisfied with the _thump_ of it hitting the comforter, you hugged the silky fabric close, stepping out of the closet’s doorway in a poor imitation of a waltz.

Even almost tripping over some discarded shoes couldn't knock the smile off of your face.

_How long had it been since you’d actually been somewhere nice?_

~

Mari squinted at her phone screen, sure she’d read the text wrong.

Auntie Lin wanted her to _what now?_ What she was reading could not possibly be correct.

A third, and a fourth read through only furthered the sinking feeling in her stomach.

It was still plain as day in front of her:

_Mr. Derr called in a favor. Get into ISRA. Find out everything there is to know about monster known as Sans. Top Priority_

“Oh, fuuuuuuuuuuck…” Tempted to smack her head against the wall, she instead typed back a response.

_U gotta b kidding me. Wtf???! i cant risk hacking the government again!_

Quick as lightning, Lin replied. _Just do it. Derr can take heat if it goes wrong._

Mari groaned, wishing she hadn’t gotten out of bed today, and sent an affirmative back. Opening her laptop, she closed the tabs with all the anime she’d been binge watching, and opened a new page.

It was time to hack the government.

Yay.

"Let's see what ISRA has to say about you, Mr. Monster," Mari hummed, hands skimming over the keyboard. 

~

It seemed like only a few seconds had passed before Carmen and Bea burst through the front door, Carmen squealing excitedly. “Oh my Gaaawd, gurl! Prepare to be _beeeautiful!_ ”

Sunflower barked confusedly at the intrusion for a moment before recognizing the women and begging for kisses.

Bea laughed and you had to grin as two pairs of arms enveloped you, squishing you between the two.

“Aw, Carmen told me everything,” Bea cooed. “I’m so happy for you (Y/N)! You deserve this!”

Carmen huffed in agreement. “Hell yeah, she does, I’ve been telling her for weeks !” She squealed again, squeezing the life out of you. “You sly minx, you! Nabbed yourself a great one!”

“Yeah, this Sans guy must have great connections! Carmen and I have been trying to get reservations at _Mett’s_ for _months._ It’s booked all the way through December!”

You noticed Carmen tense, her grip loosening for a moment, and you heard her slight intake of breath, as if she wanted to say something, but didn’t.

_Oh?_ Was there something going on with the two that Carmen didn’t want to talk about? You tilted your head towards her, raising an eyebrow, but she only gave your arm a quick squeeze as she stepped back.

“So,” Carmen cleared her throat, acting like the moment never happened, “Show us the dress, and we’ll do the rest!”

Bea steered you back towards your room, and the two started examining the dress you’d laid out on your bed.

“Bit fancy, don’tcha think?” Bea mused, Carmen snorted in response. “If anything, this’ll be just fancy enough—short of going out and buying (Y/N) a frickin’ _ballgown,_ this is the closest we’re gonna get right now.”

“Oh, God.” You winced and sat down on the bed (doing your best not to squish the dress), a sudden thought striking you. “Oh. Ooooh Noooo.”

Immediately, Carmen pounced on you like a fussy mother duck. “What, what’s wrong?”

You turned your head up at the concerned couple and grimaced. “How… How much is this place gonna cost?”

There was a pause before Bea let out a faint mutter of ‘Oh, shit,’ before you felt the muffled vibrations of her feet pacing the carpeted floor. “That… Is a problem…”

Carmen sucked in a breath and placed a steadying hand on your shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, hun.” “How can I not?!” “Look, we agreed you needed something nice, right? And we’ve talked about how you don’t need to worry about splurging every once in a while.”

“But--!!” “No buts!” The bed sunk and bounced a little as she took a seat, taking your hands in her own. “I know you’re trying to save money, but at the most, you’ll only pay for your half of the meal, and if Sans has any respectability, he’ll pay for you—it’s usually the person who asks the other on the date that pays, you know.”

You nodded, smiling weakly at your friends. “Yeah, I know, I just… Worry.”

“Don’t,” Carmen gently admonished, and the bedsprings creaked as she stood up. “I’ll go look at your jewelry.”

~

The Great and Terrible Papyrus took another contemplative glance back at his brother, whom was attempting to find the proper bow-tie to accompany his suit: one he only bore the torture of for fancy political engagements—and of _course_ the lazybones had left it at their—no, _Papyrus’_ place—so of _course_ Sans had to drop in and make such a fuss over something as simple as a _date._

With a human, no less!

A month ago, the Great Papyrus would have laughed at such a ridiculous proposal, but now was resigned to watch his brother be agitated over his visage for this attempted courtship. Was not the human Sans interested in blind? Did that not make all this preparation obsolete?

Papyrus mused over this train of thinking for a moment more.

“…SANS, I AM QUITE PERPLEXED, AND THAT IS NO EASY FEAT, PUZZLING THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS. BUT I HAVE TO QUESTION: WHY PUT IN SO MUCH EFFORT? ESPECIALLY WHEN THIS WOMAN WILL HAVE NO IDEA OF IT?”

Sans stopped fidgeting in the mirror, eyelights flickering over to rest on the taller skeleton. He hemmed and started fixing his tie again, movements slow. “I… Jus’ wanna look good enough to be seen with ‘er, ya know?”

“AH, I SEE.” But Papyrus did not see, not really. If Sans was taking (Y/N) to Mettaton’s fancy new place, the only ones there to observe the date were monsters: who already knew Sans for who he was, and used to be, back in the underground; and a few wealthy humans, who already had _their_ views about monsters.

However, Papyrus supposed, perhaps it was the thought and the effort put in that counted the most.

~

The Inter-Species Relations Agency, or ISRA for short, was the government database for monster-human interaction documentation, and biographical cataloguing for each monster citizen. Each and every monster that had come to the surface and gained citizenship had a file, detailing their stats, history, and any crimes (by human and/or monster law) that they had committed.

Of course, any malevolent acts in the Underground were pardoned as part of the New Ebott Treaty, such as the killing of human children to gain SOULS to break the barrier, and killing each other for…. Well, as far as Mari could discern, just because they wanted to.

Some of the files she’d hacked into almost made her puke, and she was starting to get that same queasy feeling as she eyed the link to one _Sans Font’s_ file.

She gulped as she opened it, seeing the file links appear before her.

_Magical Abilities. Threat Evaluation. Testimonies of Character. Psyche Evaluation. Underground Biography. Pardoned Acts._

Mari hesitated a moment before selecting the last link; unable to ignore the feeling of her sins crawling on her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le gasp! What will happen next!?  
> Stay Tuned for that date! (finally)


	13. It's a PUNderful night~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Girl Talk.  
> Sans finally arrives to take you on that date. Punnery ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha, let's get this show back on the road!  
> T-T Forgive me for being away so long!

Sans straightened his tie for the millionth time, gulping down a fortifying breath. It had been absolute torture getting the reservations from Mettaton, and he just _knew_ that smug four-armed freak was gonna lord this favor over him forever. The suit wasn’t a picnic to bear either, but he had to admit he _did_ look dignified, in an intimidating, james-bond-villain kinda way.

Indulging in a quick moment of fantasy, he struck a pose—puffing his collarbone out and tugging on the lapels of his suit jacket, winking at the mirror. Heh, he’d make for a good lookin’ mob boss in this get up, that’s fer sure.

“…ER, SANS?”

“GAAH!” He jumped back from the mirror, SOUL racing and cheekbones glowing, “B-boss, how long ‘ave you been there?!”

Papyrus scowled as he regarded his brother’s embarrassed grimace. “THE ENTIRETY OF THE TIME YOU HAVE BEEN HERE, _SANS_.”

A bead of sweat trickled down the back of his skull as he chuckled awkwardly. “O-oh.”

The taller skeleton sighed and his face softened. “I MAY NOT CURRENTLY UNDERSTAND YOUR FEELINGS TOWARDS THIS ‘(Y/N),’ BUT AS YOUR BROTHER AND SUPERVISOR, I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK IN YOUR COURTSHIP.”

A smile tugged at his mouth and Sans felt his SOUL brighten again. “Heh, thanks bro—”

“ALTHOUGH!!!!” Papyrus cut him off with a gleam in his eyesocket. “IF I RECEIVE WORD OF YOU BOTCHING THIS IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN BOTH YOUR LIFE AND IN MONSTER-HUMAN RELATIONS. . . . . THE RESULTS WILL _NOT_ BE PRETTY. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, BROTHER?”

Sans gulped. “Crystal, bro.”

 

* * *

 

Carmen grinned as she applied the finishing touches on (Y/N)’s makeup, the smile still stretching her face as she tidied up her makeup kit, gushing praise on her friends beauty. “Oh my god, honey, If I was not in a committed relationship, I would totally take you home right now, you’re like an ELEVEN out of ten.”

“Hey!” Bea gasped in mock indignation from behind (Y/N), pressing a hand to her heart. “I’m right here, love!”

Carmen shot her girlfriend a grin, sticking out her tongue cheekily. “I said _“if,”_ hun—you know I’d never really leave you for this boring prude,” She laughed and (Y/N) smiled good naturedly. “No Offense, (Y/N)!”

The blind girl sighed and shook her head, still smirking up towards her friends. “None-taken,” She stuck out her tongue too, unaware that the gesture had already been made, “But you’re not really my type~”

Bea chuckled, nimble fingers working quickly through her friend’s hair. “Oh, I know your type, girl, it’s _veeeryyyy_ specific. Tall, dark, and _skeleton~_ ”

(Y/N) wriggled in her seat, the poor girl’s cheeks burning as she tried and failed not to smile at the teasing. “Co—come on guys, what right have you to judge who I like?”

“Yeah, leave ‘er alone, Bea—not her fault that love is _blind._ ” One could practically taste the smugness as Carmen’s grin stretched to inhuman lengths.

Bea’s tortured groan was muffled by (Y/N)’s abrupt laughter. The dolled-upped woman had to bite her tongue to keep from shaking and messing up the blonde’s work.

“Uuuugh, why?!” Bea made her displeasure known, starting up again on (Y/N)’s hair. “If I didn’t love you so much, I’d demand a divorce.”

This only made the other two women laugh harder, though (Y/N)’s giddiness was more from nerves than anything. “…W-We’re…. not—… Even…. Married!” Carmen managed to eke out from between deep laughter.

Bea pursed her lips, looking over (Y/N) towards her girlfriend, who was slowly recovering. “Still,” She insisted with mock-seriousness, “You _will_ sleep on the couch tonight if you don’t knock it off.”

Carmen feigned hurt, grabbing a complacently sitting Sunflower into a hug. He eagerly licked her cheek as she pouted up at Bea. “Awww, But Babe—!”

“No buts,” Bea grinned, “You know I’d never kick my heater out of bed—my feet’d get too cold!”

Carmen rolled her eyes but smiled lovingly up at the blonde. “Well thank the Lord I’m useful!”

(Y/N) sat still, feeling butterflies go to war in her stomach.

On one hand, listening her friends’ well-meaning jabs and quips was a familiar comfort for a girl that didn’t much like to step out of her comfort zone—like tonight. On a date. With a skeleton that made her heart flutter in her ribs like a humming bird in a cage. Her hands trembled a little even now, both elation and terror coursing through her veins.

And yet on the other hand…. The terror was a little bit stronger than it should have been. (Y/N) knew the two meant well, but even right now, sitting in the impromptu hair and makeup station they’d set up in the middle of her living room, she felt just a tad too much like a third wheel. She let her head dip as Bea finished with her hair, thoughts clouded. A stranger in her own home she could hear the love her friends held for each other and doubt struck her once again.

Could she ever have something like that?

 

* * *

 

You were pulled suddenly from your thoughts when the doorbell rang. The shrill buzz sent your heart a-flutter, Bea and Carmen to tittering excitedly, and Sunflower to let loose a howling bark, his nails clicking on the fake-wood paneling as he raced to the door.

Oh. _Oh._ It was happening.

You sprang up from your chair, pulse pounding and went to follow Sunny in his sprint towards the door.

Gentle, cool hands caught your shoulders, accompanied by Bea’s easy laughter. “Calm down, (Y/N)! You almost tripped on your heels!”

“Oh.” You flushed again: that would have been a quick and embarrassing end to your evening plans.

“I’ll get it,” Carmen’s voice faded towards the kitchen and entryway as you let Bea help you into the dreaded high heels.

The door creaked open and you could hear Sans’ voice, tinged with surprise and… disappointment?

“You’re not her.”

Carmen chuckled. “No, ¡pero tú eres un esqueleto muy _guapo_!” Calling back over her shoulder, you could hear the teasing grin in her voice. “Why didn’t you tell me he was this good looking?”

“I-I’m here!” You chimed, tottering the last few steps to the entryway with a flush that was not entirely the work of Carmen’s make up skills.

Once in the doorway, you let a demure smile spread onto your painted lips. You hoped you were at least aiming it in the direction of the skeleton.

There was a long stretch of silence, with only Sunny’s happy pants as his tail no doubt beat the air, until Sans let out a sputter, your friends ‘awww’-ing in the back.

“…You’re…. Beautiful,” Sans breathed in awe, and you were acutely aware of your ears burning.

 You managed to squeak out a reply. “O-oh, I… Uh, th-thank you.” Your heart thudded almost painfully. “I-I’m sure you-you’re very handsome tonight.”

There was a beat before Sans seemed to compose himself, charm oozing backing into his words. “Heh, thanks, sweetheart, though I gotta say tonight you look downright a- _door-_ able.”

A grin made its way back to your face, and you felt instantly grateful that he knew just how to put you at ease. You aimed a thankful look towards him, distantly aware of Bea’s long-suffering sigh and Carmen’s maniacal giggling.

Eager to keep the banter going you joined in, throwing a bold wink towards Sans. “Are you sure you can _handle_ a night on the town with me?”

He chuckled, and suddenly Sans’ voice sounded next to your ear, “Oh, I’m sure, Sweetheart.” A delightful shiver ran down your spine, and you could only eke out a bashful ‘ok,’ to which he chuckled again, leaning away.

You stood there with buzzing nerves for another moment as you collected yourself. You felt a well of unfathomable thankfulness to the girls as your clutch was slipped into the crook of your arm, and a feather-light shawl was placed around your shoulders.

“Well don’t just stand there, cariño, go out and have a good time!” Carmen nudged you forwards, a smile in her voice. “Don’t worry about a thing, Bea and I’ll clean up here and take Sunny for a walk.”

“—Oh!” Bea interjected, stepping neatly around you, her steps clear on the hard flooring. “Before I forget,” There was a steely undertone to her words as she stood between you and the skeleton, “I’d like to give you a small bit of advice—word of warning, however you take it, _sir._ ”

Yikes. Your lips pursed in sympathy for Sans.

Bea was in full mama-bear mode now, and you could just picture the hard gleam in her eyes (courtesy of Carmen’s awed and terrorized descriptions).  

“Uh, sure.”

You heard the floor’s quiet groan as Sans shifted uncomfortably, and you shot a look towards Bea.

_Please go easy on him_.

You weren’t sure if she’d caught the look, as she launched straight away into her ‘parental’ speech. “I know you and (Y/N) have been together before this, and that went great and all, but know this. If you disrespect her, if you hurt her, if you make her cry; I will personally make your life a living hell... I really hope this works out, and we can be friends—but if it doesn’t, and I get a phone call from her, and she seems upset in anyway…. Well, I’ll leave what I do to your imagination.”

Her voice jumped up from where it had been into her usual cheery sound. “You kids have fun!”

“Byeeeee~” Carmen sing-songed, shoving you through the door into your skeletal date’s arms. “Don’t forget, your cane’s in your clutch, and have her home by 2!”

The door slammed and rattled in its hinges behind you as you peered up at Sans, a sheepish smile across your face. “Sorry! They mean well, I swear.”

A low, rumble of a laugh spread through his chest, warming you from head to toe as he held you in his arms. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, sweetheart. Paps raked me ‘cross the coals over this already.”

“Oh? So the _heat_ _is on_ , huh?” you gave him a crooked smirk, already feeling the laugh building in his sturdy chest.

“Heh, heh. Nice one.”

 

* * *

 

 

It was an odd couple that strolled into _Mett’s_ that night.

The sight of Sans alone, a well-known monster in the underground for he and his brother’s LV and cruelty, even more well-known on the surface as the Ambassador’s assistant, would have turned heads no matter the occasion.

But with a pretty little human on his arm—one that didn’t look at all phased to be in the presence of so many monsters—one that _Sans_ , feared judge of the Underground looked to with such a look of _fondness_. . .

Now that was enough to stop conversation—and start it up again with whispered speculations.

You hadn’t noticed the ripple effect that spread through the restaurant at your arrival, too busy laughing at a pun Sans had said about chefs and their mis- _steaks_.

In fact, you’d hardly even noticed the chill of the void as you’d gone through, too busy trying not to grin like an idiot over the fact that he’d offered you his arm.

Like a gentle-skele.

And you were his Lady. Oh goodness, you were flushing and grinning again. You quickly composed yourself as you made your way through the lobby, gentle music from within trickling out to reach your ears.

The two of you came to a stop at what must have been the host stand, as Sans cleared his throat and announced the two of you. You had to hide a smile when you could feel his chest swell with pride. “Sans Font, party a’two.”

The host hummed, and pages rustled.

Heels clicked on the tile behind you, stopping a few feet back, accompanied by a strangely echoing chuckle. “Oh, _Darlings~”_

Sans’ arm tensed underneath your hold, and he hissed something that was no doubt highly inappropriate for the setting. He whirled around, and you followed suit, wondering just who on Earth could elicit such a reaction from him.

“Mettaton. What ‘re you doing here?”

You blinked, mouth dropping into a perfect ‘o’ of surprise.

Mettaton? The Robotic Monster Star? The one who was setting night-clubs for improved human-monster relations? The Mettaton who was topping the singles’ chart and appearing on tv and radio shows?

_That Mettaton?!_

“This _is_ my restaurant, _Sans_. The real question is who I allowed you to last-minute book for,” A self-satisfied purr entered his tinny voice. “It couldn’t possibly be this lovely young beauty on your arm, now could it?”

You flushed at the unexpected compliment from the celebrity.

With low rumble in his chest, a heavy arm encircled your shoulders, drawing you closer to Sans. “Yeah.” His voice was tense but smug as he squeezed you to his side, “This is (Y/N), my girlfriend.”

Your heart skipped a beat, and a goofy smile snuck its way back onto your face.

“Oh?” an almost menacing chuckle came from the android, but he hid it well. “I see~”

“Yeah well,” Sans stalled, obvious discomfort in his voice. You reached up to the phalanges on your shoulder and gave them a reassuring squeeze. He squeezed back, replying, “What did’ya want, anyways?”

The android pretended to think for a moment, humming thoughtfully. “Wellll,” He drawled, “when I arranged this little soirée, I imagined that you, being yourself, dear Sans, would like a little privacy.”

 Mettaton stifled a smug laugh. “Of course, I was right! I managed to get you two _lovebirds_ a private booth~”

Sans’ arm tightened around you possessively, and even you were a little uncomfortable with the android’s tone; somewhere between haughty and threatening.

“That sounds—nice,” you faltered, but smiled politely anyways. “Thank you.”

“. . . Yeah,” Sans agreed reluctantly. “Sounds great, _Mettaton._ ”

Said android ‘hm’-ed in satisfaction. “Right this way, darlings~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BUM-BUM-BUM!!! A wild Mettaton appears!  
> Thanks for reading!  
> *Cough Cough* Your-comments-give-me-life *cough*

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions :)


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